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Min-t.em-  Bros .  CKromo  lic-'K.  London.. 

RAMPHASTOS     CITREOL^MUS,  fotiW.. 
Citr-orL-breasted  Toiacan. 


A  FLYING  TRIP  TO  THE 
TROPICS 

A  RECORD  OF  AN  ORNITHOLOGICAL  VISIT 


UNITED    STATES    OF   COLOMBIA,   SOUTH    AMERICA 

AND   TO   THE   ISLAND    OF    CURASAO 

WEST   INDIES 


IN  THE    YEAR   i8g2 


BY 


WIRT    ROBINSON^  \?>4 +'^'^'2.^ 


SECOND    LIEUTENANT,   FOURTH    U.   S.    ARTILLERY 


CAMBRIDGE 

PrintrD  at  tijc  HitjfrsiOf  |jDrcs(s! 

1895 


Copyright,  1895, 
By  WIRT  ROBINSON. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Pre.i.i,  Cambridge,  ^fiiss.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  ami  Printed  by  H.  O.  Hongliton  &  Co. 


Bancroft  Llbnry 

Unrversrty  of  CalifornU 

WITHDItAWN 


PREFACE. 


Prefaces  are  written  for  various  purposes.  Sometimes  tliey  are 
introductory,  —  they  explain  the  raison  d'etre  of  the  book,  they 
define  its  scope,  and  perhaps  outhne  the  treatment  of  the  subject ; 
at  other  times  they  are  self-laudatory,  and  impress  upon  the  reader 
that  the  work  fills  a  long-felt  want,  and  that  its  statements  are 
much  more  accurate  than  those  of  any  other  writer ;  again,  in  an 
humble  tone  they  are  apologetic,  beseeching  that  the  work  be  not 
harshly  criticised.  Should  I  make  the  last  request  in  regard  to  the 
following  work,  I  am  afraid  that  I  Avould  be  but  calling  attention 
to  its  failings.  I  am  reminded  of  the  story  of  the  little  boy  who, 
visiting  an  art  gallery  where  there  was  a  statue  bearing  the  placard, 
"  Do  not  touch  with  canes  or  umbrellas,"  took  out  his  pencil  and 
added  the  words,  "  take  a  axe." 

In  a  Preface  it  is  proper  and  usual  to  return  thanks  to  the  vari- 
ous persons  who  have  assisted  the  writer  in  the  preparation  of  his 
work,  and  I  should  feel  that  I  had  been  negligent  in  this  respect 
did  I  fail  to  acknowledge  the  help  that  the  officials  of  our  National 
Museum  have  with  great  kindness  extended  to  me. 

It  would  be  manifestly  absurd  should  I  attempt  to  criticise  the 
countries  that  I  visited,  seeing  what  a  short  time  I  spent  in  them. 
My  remarks  must  therefore  be  taken  simply  as  observations  of 
individual  occurrences,  not  necessarily  universal.     I  will  say  that 


IV  PREFACE. 

tlirougliout  Colombia  I  met  with  a  courteous  treatment  that  we 
might  sometimes  look  for  in  vain  in  many  portions  of  our  own 
country. 

If  I  have  dwelt  too  much  on  birds,  remember  that  the  study  of 
birds  is  my  hobby,  that  I  went  to  the  tropics  for  the  purpose  of 
observing  them,  and  I  am  therefore  inclined  to  give  more  promi- 
nence to  them  than  to  other  objects.  In  my  descriptions  of  them 
I  have  endeavored  to  give  an  idea  of  their  approximate  size  by 
comparing  them  to  some  of  our  well-known  birds.  I  have  done 
this  because  I  have  often  found  that,  from  never  having  seen  a 
specimen,  I  have  had  erroneous  ideas  of  the  size  of  some  birds. 
Thus,  I  had  thought  from  the  figures  that  the  larger  hornbills 
were  about  the  size  of  our  crow,  and,  making  an  error  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  I  supposed  that  a  stormy  petrel  was  the  size  of  a  gull. 

The  illustrations,  with  a  few  exceptions  which  are  noticed  in  the 
text,  have  been  drawn  expressly  for  this  work  or  reproduced  from 
my  photographs. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   The  Voyage 1 

II.   The   Island  of  Curacao 12 

III.  Barranquilla 30 

IV.  The  Magdalena  River 49 

V.   The  Mule  Road  and  Guaduas 80 

VI.   Back  to  Barranquilla 115 

VII.   Curacao  again 136 

VIII.   Results  of  the  Trip 150 

IX.   A  Few  Suggestions 168 

Appendix. 

List  of  Works  on  Colombia       ..........       177 

Maps 190 

Colombian  Zoology  .  ...........       191 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


Citron-Breasted  Toucan  (Colored  Plate) Frontispiece 

Portrait 1 

Portrait 2 

Portrait    . 3 

"  Our  Baggage  " 4 

Map  showing  Routes  to  Colombia 5 

The  Venezuela 6 

"  Our  Pilot  was  taken  off  by  his  Boat  " 8 

Portuguese  Man-o'-War 9 

Yellow-Billed  Tropic  Bird 11 

Map  of  Island  of  Curasao 12 

Vessel  passing  between  Forts  at  Narrow  Entrance  of  Harbor  of  Curacao  13 

Santa  Ana  Harbor  (Map) 14 

Dutch  Soldier  at  Curacao 15 

Drawbridge  across  the  Harbor  at  Curacao 17 

Dwellings  at  Curacao 18 

Narrow  Street  in  Curacao 19 

Curacao  Land  Shell 22 

Chlorostilbon  splendidus 23 

"  Cactus  .  .  .  Ten,  Fifteen,  and  even  Twenty  Feet  in  Height  "        .        .  24 

Main  Street,  Curacao 25 

From  Curacao  to  Puerto  Colombia  (Map) 26,  27 

The  Southern  Cross  of  the  Geographies  and  the  Tri'e  Southern  Cross  .  27 

Map  of  the  Republic  of  Colombia 28 

Puerto  Colombia 31 

Hotel  Victoria  and  American  Consulate,  Barranquilla    ....  33 

Barranquilla  from  the  Marsh 35 


viii  LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Market  Court,  Barranquilla 37 

DuG-OuTS   ALONG   THE   MARKET    FrONT 38 

The  Savalo  or  Tarpon 39 

Coffee  Sellers,  Barranquilla      ..........  40 

Grooved-Bill  Ani 42 

Basilicus  americanus 4g 

Turkey-Buzzard 47 

The  Steamer  Enrique 5]^ 

Laundry  at  Barranquilla 52 

The  Magdalena  Valley  to  Honda  (Map) 53 

Cocoa  Palms  along  the  Magdalena 54 

Stop  at  Banco 55 

Capybara 57 

Magangue  from  the  River 59 

Amazilia  fuscicaudata (30 

Cyanophaia  goudoti go 

Cathedral  at  Banco 62 

Colombian  Screamer 53 

Glaucis  hirsuta (35 

"  Oro  Pendola  " 6(5 

Blue-Rumped  Parrakeet  (Colored  Plate) 66 

Looking  down  the  Magdalena  from  Banco 71 

polyerata  amabilis    . 72 

Iguana  tuberculata .73 

A  Bongo  or  Champan  on  the  Magdalena     . 75 

Citron-Breasted  Toucan 76 

Collared  Aracari 78 

Land  Shell  from  near  Yeguas 80 

The  Diamond  Rattler 81 

From  Honda  to  Yeguas  (Map) 8l' 

Ruins  of  Bridge  over  the  GuALf  destroyed  by  P^arthquake     ...  84 

Swing  Ferry  at  Arranca  Plumas .        .85 

Pack-Mule  with  Trunks  and  Sleeping-Mats          .        .         .        .        .        .  87 

Adjusting  Load  on  Pack-Mule 88 

Portion  of  Paved  Road  to  Bogota 90 

Road  to  Bogota 91 

On  the  Road  to  Guaduas 93 

"  A  Deep  and  Crooked  Gorge  " 94 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  ix 

Roadside  Inn  near  Guaduas 95 

Plaza  and  Cathedral  at  Guaduas 96 

Our  Hotel  at  Guaduas,  from  the  Plaza 97 

Goitre 98 

Lampornis  violicauda 100 

White-Eared  Partridge  (Colored  Plate) 100 

Market  in  Plaza  at  Guaduas 103 

A  Pack-Ox  at  Guaduas 104 

Hypuroptila  buffoni 105 

DaMOPHILA  JULIA 106 

Tired  out 107 

Ph.ethornis  superciliosus 108 

Chrysolampis  moschitus 109 

Acestrura  mulsanti 109 

SiJABA  OR  Leaf-Carrying  Ant 110 

Jaguar  Skull        Ill 

Jaguar 112 

Religious  Procession  at  Guaduas 113 

"Alice  .  .  .  dismounted  only  for  the  Bad  Portion  above  Consuelo  "         .  115 

Fork-Tailed  Flycatcher 119 

Grand  Pootoo 123 

King  Vulture 125 

Cathedral  at  Barranquilla 127 

Nine-Banded  Armadillo 128 

Black  Jacana 131 

Murine  Opossum 132 

The  Manati I34 

Wattle  Hut,  Curacao 138 

Mountain  at  Curacao 140 

Curacao  Oriole  (Colored  Plate) 142 

Aborigines  of  Curacao 143 

Donkey  Team,  Curacao I44 

Breakwater  and  Harbor  of  La  Guayra 146 

Red  Snapper 148 

Section  of  Cup 170 

Red-Tailed  Hawk  (Living  Bird) 172 

Green  Heron  (Mouuted  Skin) 173 

White  Perch I74 


X  LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Sea  Bass ^„, 

SCULPIN  ...  -.r-r- 

175 

SCULPIN      ....  ^-^- 

175 

Lobster  .        .  ^^„ 

l/b 

Tailpiece  ....  i^„ 

•  .  I/O 


A  FLYING  TRIP  TO  THE   TROPICS. 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE    VOYAGE. 


I  HAVE  always 
been  fond  of  Nat- 
ural History  in  gen- 
eral, but  especially 
of  the  study  of 
birds,  and  at  every 
new  place  that  I 
have  visited  I  have 
made  it  a  point  to 
look  up  the  birds  of 
the  neighborhood 
on  every  opportu- 
nity, to  study  their 
habits  and  to  ac- 
quaint myself  with 
them  as  thoroughly 
as  possible.  As  a 
result  of  this,  it  hap- 
pens that  I  have 
seen  a  large  per- 
centage of  our  com- 
moner birds  of  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  and  that,  from  familiarity  with  plates,  drawings, 
and  descriptions,  I  can  recognize  at  once  nearly  every  new  one  that 
I  meet. 


2 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 


In  the  fall  of  1891  I  was  stationed  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy, 
West  Point,  New  York.  My  duties  as  instructor  kept  me  occupied 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  week,  but  on  Saturday  after- 
noons I  had  a  few  hours  which  I  usually  devoted  to  rambling  through 

the  forests  in  the  rear 
of  the  government 
reservation,  on  the 
lookout  for  whatever 
birds  I  miofht  meet. 

One  such  afternoon 
in  November,  I  had 
returned  from  a  lons" 
tramp  over  very  rug- 
ged ground  with  a 
total  of  three  species 
of  birds  observed  : 
a  pair  of  crows,  a 
downy  Avoodpecker, 
and  a  little  band  of 
six  tomtits,  —  very 
meagre  results  for  the 
seven  or  eight  miles 
that  I  had  gone  over ; 
and  I  was  complaining 
about  it  to  my  wife. 
In  the  course  of  our 
conversation,  I  Avas 
led  on  to  remark  upon  Avhat  I  considered  must  be  the  enjoyment  of 
a  naturalist  who  finds  himself  for  the  first  time  in  the  tropics, 
surrounded  by  the  most  luxuriant  vegetation  ;  where  every  object 
would  be  of  the  deepest  interest  to  him ;  Avhere  every  bird,  animal, 
and  insect  that  he  should  see  would  be  new  to  him,  and  conse- 
quently afford  him  the  same  pleasure  as  if  he  had  discovered  it 
himself.      Imagine  his  delight  when,  after  having  fired  at  some  bird 


THE  VOYAGE. 


moving  among  the  thick  branches  of  a  pahii,  he  should  pick  up  a 
trogon  or  humming-bird,  brilliant  with  the  colors  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful gems.  At  this  point  my  wife  said,  "  Well,  why  don't  we  go  to 
the  tropics  some  time  ?  "  and  when  we  came  to  talk  the  matter  over, 
there  Avas  really  no  unanswerable  objection  against  our  going  ;  and 
so  from  that  time  we  began  to  make  plans  for  our  trip. 

My  first  act  was  to  Avrite  to  my  brother  Cabell,  tell  him  of  our 
project,  and  ask  him  to  join  us,  to  which  he  immediately  replied 
that  he  would. 

In  selecting  the  point  to  be  visited,  there  were  a  number  of  con- 
siderations that  came 
up.  First,  our  time 
would  be  limited ; 
for  which  reason  we 
should  strike  for  the 
nearest  point,  so  as 
to  spend  as  little  time 
as  possible  in  going 
and  coming.  This 
indicated  the  West 
Indies  or  Central 
America ;  but  our 
vacation  would  occur 
in  June,  July,  and 
August,  and  these 
are  rainy  months  in 
those  regions.  We 
could  reach  Vene- 
zuela in  a  little  over 
six  days  from  New 
York,  but  at  that 
time  that  country  was  upset  by  civil  war,  and  unsafe  for  travelers. 
To  Panama  the  same  objection  applied  as  to  Central  America,  and, 
in  addition,  there  were  vague  rumors  of  yellow  fever. 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


The  interior  of  Colombia  was  found  to  answer  our  requirements, 
and  was  therefore  selected  as  our  destination. 

During  the  winter  we  perfected  our  plans,  got  together  our  bag- 
gage, and  tried  to  find  out  something  about  the  country.  This  last 
proved  to  be  a  difficult  task.  I  ransacked  the  various  bookstores  in 
New  York,  but  nearly  every  book  on  Colombia  that  I  found  had 

been  written  during  the  twenties,  and  was 
therefore  of  but  little  assistance  to  us.  I 
however  found  one  that  contained  fairly  good 
maps,  and  gave  considerable  information 
about  roads,  distances,  etc.  I  refer  to  Hel- 
ton's "  New  Granada." 

In  regard  to  our  baggage :  in  the  interior 
of  the  country  it  would  have  to  be  transported 
on  the  backs  of  mules,  for  which  reason  our 
trunks  could  not  be  larger  than  the  ordinary 
steamer  trunk,  nor  could  they  weigh  over  125 
pounds  apiece,  so  that  when  they  were  slung, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  mule,  the  total  load 
should  not  exceed  250  pounds.  We  were  to 
carry  two  12-gauge  Parker's,  one  a  very  light 
smooth-bore,  the  other  a  heavy  choke.  My 
brother  wrote  that  he  would  brino"  also  his 

o 

32-calibre  Winchester.  I  wished  to  carry 
paper  shells,  but  economy  of  space  made  me 
decide  upon  brass  ones,  which  could  be  re- 
loaded an  indefinite  number  of  times.  Our 
wads  were  taken  from  their  boxes  and  put  into  shot-bags,  as  they 
could  thus  be  packed  more  compactly.  The  powder  we  got  in  one- 
pound  cans,  and  all  of  the  above  went  into  the  trunks  among  our 
clothes.  For  shot,  we  took  a  good  supply  of  dust,  8's,  3's,  and  a 
few  buck,  all  done  up  in  a  stout  bag  that  could  be  easily  packed. 
For  stuffing  birds  I  carried  a  supply  of  arsenic,  corn-meal,  cotton, 
and  scissors. 


BERm-JDAS. 


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A  T  L  A  M    T  I   C 
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6 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 


Upon  looking-  into  the  matter,  we  found  that  there  were  three 
practical  routes  from  New  York  to  Sa vanilla  (now  Puerto  Colombia), 
the  seaport  town  for  the  interior  of  Colombia.  First,  there  was  the 
Atlas  Line,  running  to  Savanilla,  but  touching  at  various  ports  in 
San  Domingo,  and  thus  stringing  out  the  voyage  to  fourteen  days ; 
secondly,  the  Pacific   Mail   Steamship  Company's  Line  to  Colon,  on 


THE    VENEZUELA. 


the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  in  eight  days,  and  from  there  three  or  four 
steamers  per  month  to  Savanilla  ;  and,  thirdly,  the  Red  "  D  "  Line 
to  Venezuelan  ports,  touching  at  the  island  of  Curagao  on  the  sixth 
day  out,  and  from  this  island  various  steamers  of  the  English  and 
German  lines  touching  at  Savanilla.  The  greatest  delay  that  we 
might  have  at  Curagao  would  be  a  week,  Avhilst,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  might  make  close  connection,  and  for  this  reason  we  selected  the 
last  route.  We  finally  engaged  our  staterooms  on  the  S.  S.  Vene- 
zuela, sailing  Saturday,  June  11. 

I  remember  now  with  what  feelings  of  delight  I  opened  the  letter 
from  the  steamship  company,  drew  out  the  tags  marked  "passen- 
p-er's   bao-oap-e,  S.  S.  Venezuela,  Curacao,"   and  fastened  them  to 


THE  VOYAGE.  7 

our  trunks.  Our  longed-for  trip  was  finally  assuming  a  tangible 
form. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  our  preparations  progressed  without 
opposition  ;  our  friends  all  protested  when  they  learned  that  Ave 
were  going  to  South  America  in  the  summer.  It  was  in  vain  that 
we  represented  to  them  that  being  so  near  the  equator  there  would 
be  but  little  difference  in  the  temperature  from  one  year's  end  to 
another.  Our  respective  families  and  relations  were  disgusted. 
Their  letters  to  us  were  filled  with  our  obituaries,  with  stories  of 
poisonous  serpents,  of  all  sorts  of  malignant  and  deadly  fevers,  of 
assassinations,  and  of  lesser  evils  without  end.  I  was  reminded 
of  the  "  Jumblies"  in  the  nonsense  book,  who, 

"  111  spite  of  all  their  friends  could  say, 
In  a  sieve  they  went  to  sea." 

Well,  the  winter  and  spring  went  by ;  June  11  came  at  last,  and 
found  us  together  in  New  York.  We  left  our  hotel  about  eleven, 
drove  down  to  Pier  36,  East  River,  and  went  aboard  the  Venezuela 
about  noon.  We  spent  the  time  remaining  before  the  sailing  of  our 
vSteamer  in  getting  our  luggage  arranged  in  our  very  large  and  com- 
fortable staterooms,  and  in  examining  the  ship.  The  Venezuela  was 
practically  new,  the  staterooms  very  clean  and  well  ventilated,  the 
saloon  and  dining-room  handsomely  finished  in  quartered  oak.  She 
was  of  2,300  tons,  the  largest  vessel  of  the  line. 

The  pilot  came  aboard  a  few  minutes  before  one,  and  at  one  sharp 
we  pulled  out  from  the  pier,  headed  down  the  bay,  and  started  off. 
I  had  my  "  Hawk-eye  "  in  readiness,  and  took  parting  shots  at  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge  and  the  Liberty  Statue  as  we  steamed  by.  The 
day  was  very  pleasant  and  the  sea  smooth.  When  off  Sandy  Hook 
we  slowed  up,  our  pilot  was  taken  off  by  his  boat,  and  we  started 
ahead  again. 

Shortly  after  this  I  saw  my  first  stormy  petrels.  Quite  a  flock  of 
them  followed  the  steamer  until  it  grew  too  dark  to  see.  They 
were  smaller  than  I  expected  to  find  them,  —  little  gull-like  birds 
with  white  rumps. 


8 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 


There  are  some  peoj^le  who  laugh  at  seasickness,  but  I  am  unfor- 
tunately not  among  that  number.  In  about  an  hour  I  began  to 
feel  wretched,  and  1  grew  steadily  worse.  Cabell  also  looked  green. 
Alice  held  out  better.  When  night  came  I  would  have  been  glad 
to  die,  and  fell  into  my  berth  in  a  sort  of  stupor. 

Let  us  not  dwell 
upon  a  painful  re- 
membrance. 

The  following 
day,  Sunday,  June 
12,  when  I  crawled 
out  on  deck  we  Avere 
dashing  through 
the  Gulf  Stream. 
I  was  at  once  struck 
by  the  change  in 
the  color  of  the 
water;  it  had  now 
become  of  a  most 
brilliant  and  beau- 
tiful dark  blue,  en- 
tirely different  from 
the  greenish  blue 
of  the  water  nearer 
the  coast.  Lookin 
towards  the 
of  the  vessel,  I  saw 


stern 


■  OUR   PILOT    WAS    TAKEN    OFF    BY    HIS    BOAT. 


that  we  were  still 
followed  by  a  flock  of  the  small  petrels  that  I  had  seen  the  day 
before.  They  circled  around  the  stern,  every  now  and  then  drop- 
ping down  to  the  foam  in  our  wake  to  pick  up  some  particle  of 
food,  and  then  hastening  on  to  rejoin  the  retreating  ship.  They 
came  within  a  few  feet  of  the  rail,  and  I,  encouraged  by  a  tempo- 
rary lull  in  my  symptoms,  took  my  camera  and  went  back  to  take  a 


THE   VOYAGE. 


snap  shot  at  some  of  them,  but  the 
motion  over  the  screw  was  so  much 
greater  than  that  amidships   that  I 
gave  in  before  I  succeeded,  and  re-     =^ 
treated  to  my  stateroom  more  wretch- 
ed  than  ever.     In  the  afternoon   I 
saw  a  few  flying-fish  and  some  "  Por- 
tuguese men-o'-war,"  the  latter  offer- 
ing a  beautiful  sight  as  they  sailed  lightly 
over  the  waves,  resplendent  with  various 
shades  of  violet,  purple,  and  pink. 

Sunday  night  the  mnd  freshened,  and 
all  day  Monday  we  pitched  through  a  head 
sea,  the  wind  being  from  the  southeast. 
We  all  felt  worse  than  ever.  I  thought 
the  sea  very  rough,  as  the  waves  repeat- 
edly washed  over  the  decks.  A  flying-fish 
came  on  board  and  was  caught.  I  exam- 
ined it  as  closely  as  I  could.  It  was  a 
small  one,  about  six  inches  long,  a  deep 
blue  color  above  and  silvery  white  below, 
a  splendid  example  of  protective  colora- 
tion, as  its  colors  harmonized  with  the 
deep  blue  of  the  water  and  snowy  white 
of  the  foam.  Later  in  the  day  I  saw  a 
bird  about  the  size  of  a  pigeon,  black 
above  and  white  below,  and  more  stocky 
than  a  tern.  It  flew  close  to  the  surface 
of  the  waves.  It  was  not  a  tern,  but  flew 
much  like  a  gull,  not  with  the  rapid  wing- 
beats  of  a  murre,  and  was  j^robably  a 
shearwater. 

The  wind  continued  on  Tuesday,  but 
not  so  fresh  as  on  the  day  before,  and,  to 


PORTUGUESE 

(By  permission  of 


MAN-O 
American 


-WAR. 

Book  Co.) 


10  A   FLYING    TRIP  TO   THE   TROPICS. 

my  great  relief,  our  symptoms  began  to  moderate,  and  we  once 
more  took  an  interest  in  life.  We  began  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  the  passengers,  among  whom  we  found  especially  agreeable  Mr. 
Birtner,  the  German  consul  to  Maracaibo,  who  was  accompanied  by 
his  family.  We  also  began  to  develop  ravenous  appetites  and  to 
look  forward  impatiently  to  meal-time,  when  we  did  full  justice 
to  the  good  dishes  of  the  Venezuela's  cook.  Captain  Hopkins  was 
kind  enough  to  place  us  at  his  table,  and  did  a  great  deal  to  make 
our  trij)  a  pleasant  one. 

This  day  we  saw  hundreds  of  flying-fish,  and  watched  a  great 
many  of  them  throughout  their  flight.  They  cannot  be  properly 
said  to  fly,  yet  they  do  more  than  simply  sail  through  the  air  with 
the  momentum  acquired  by  their  start  from  the  water.  As  soon  as 
they  clear  the  water,  they  spread  their  wide  pectoral  and  anal  fins 
and  hold  them  horizontal  and  motionless  during  the  remainder  of 
their  flight.  They  can  steer  themselves  up  or  down,  as  I  saw  hun- 
dreds of  them  keep  at  a  distance  of  a  few  inches  above  the  surface, 
going  down  into  the  troughs  between  the  waves,  but  rising  to  clear 
the  crests.  I  also  saw  some,  when  they  had  lost  most  of  their 
velocity  and  were  apparently  just  about  to  return  to  the  water,  droop 
the  hinder  part  of  their  bodies  until  their  tails  touched  the  water, 
when  they  would  wriggle  them  rapidly  and  violently  and  thus  get  a 
new  impetus  without  actually  entering  the  water. 

Wednesday  was  like  Tuesday  ;  the  wind  was  still  against  us,  so 
we  did  not  go  along  as  rapidly  as  we  otherwise  would ;  still  we  aver- 
aged about  three  hundred  miles  per  day. 

On  Thursday  morning,  as  we  made  the  Mona  passage,  we  saw 
our  first  land  since  leaving  New  York :  Mona  rock,  a  sharp  and 
rugged  peak  rising  from  the  water  on  our  left ;  Mona  Island,  a 
large,  barren-looking  table-land,  with  precipitous  and,  in  some  places, 
overhanging  shores  on  our  right.  To  the  extreme  right  was  a  little 
flat  sand-bar  of  an  island.  Little  Mona,  or  Monita,  and  in  the  far 
distance  to  the  left  rose  the  blue  mountains  of  Puerto  Rico. 

As  we  drew  near  the  passage,  many  birds  came  around  the  ship ; 


THE  VOYAGE. 


11 


among  tliem  a  beautiful  tropic  bird  with  a  yellow  beak,  white  plu- 
mage with  black  wing  patches,  and  long  white  plumes  in  its  tail, 
sooty  and  noddy  terns,  flocks  of  boobies,  the  adults  brown  above  and 
white  below,  the  young  uniform  plain  brown  with  bluish  green  faces 
and  beaks.     These  attempted  several  times  to  settle  on  the  rigging 


YELLOW-BILLED    TROPIC    BIKD  (PHAETHON    FLAVIROSTRIs). 

of  the  vessel.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  saw  a  tremendous  school  of 
porpoises  —  all  small  ones  not  over  four  feet  long,  but  there  were 
at  least  three  hundred  of  them. 

The  weather  was  pleasant ;   there  were  a  few  showers,  but  the 
trade  wind  was  constant,  and  we  did  not  feel  the  heat. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    ISLAND    OF    CURACAO. 

Friday,  June  17,  1892.  We  were  all  up  bright  and  early,  keep- 
ing a  sharp  lookout  for  the  first  sight  of  land,  and  about  eleven 
o'clock  we  saw  away  off  on  the  horizon  a  faint  blue  peak  which  rose 
from  the  sea,  as  we  drew  nearer,  and  finally  spread  out  into  the 
Island  of  Curagao.  This  island,  which  now  belongs  to  the  Dutch, 
is  long  and  narrow,  and  lies  Avith  its  longer  axis  N.  W.  and  S.  E. 
It  is  forty  miles  long  and  about  ten  miles  wide,  and  contains  an  area 
of  two  hundred  and  twelve  square  miles.  It  is  about  fifty  miles  from 
the  mainland  of  South  America,  and  as  we  rounded  its  northwest 
end,  and  ran  down  its  southwest  coast,  we  saw  to  our  right  a  faint 
blue  line  of  mountains,  the  peninsula  of  Coro.  We  steamed  along 
at  a  distance  of  from  two  to  three  miles  from  the  coast  for  about 
twenty-five  miles,  and  had  a  good  opportunity  to  examine  the  island. 
It  consists  of  a  succession  of  peaks,  some  with  a  gradual  slope  on 
one  side  and  abrupt  cliff  on  the  other,  others  with  a  flat  top  and 
abrupt  fall  on  all  sides.  It  is  of  coral  formation,  and  all  along  the 
coast  of  the  northern  part  there  are  miniature  cliffs  of  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet  high,  and  at  their  feet  long  stretches  of  most  dazzlingly 
clean-looking  sand.  The  waves  have  undermined  these  cliffs  in  a 
number  of  places,  making  small  caves  along  the  water's  edge.  I 
have  never  seen  a  more  beautiful  sight  than  the  deep  blue  waters 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea  breaking  in  waves  on  the  smooth  beaches  of 
Curagao.  As  the  water  grew  shallower,  the  blue  changed  in  shade 
to  the  color  called  peacock-blue,  and  this  closer  in  became  a  light 
green. 


Bwjcroft  LilSn. 


-^ 


=^°=^ e) 


ly  tern  WIST  iNDiti 

FROM    OFF/C/AL  SURVEYS  or 


-'^Vj-- 


GREENWICH. 


THE  ISLAND    OF  CURACAO. 


13 


From  a  distance  the  island  looked  green ;  but  as  we  drew  nearer, 
it  was  seen  that  the  greater  part  was  practically  barren.  The  coral 
rock  showed  everywhere,  and  Avas  covered  with  a  small  scrubby 
growth  hardly  waist  high.  In  the  valleys  between  the  peaks  were 
a  few  trees.  Farther  south  the  shore  grew  more  level,  the  beaches 
wider,  and  at  one  place  there  was  a  large  mangrove  swamp. 

Shortly  after  one  o'clock  we  knew  that  we  had  been  sighted,  for 
we  saw  the  signal  flying  from  a  staff  on  one  of  the  peaks  to  the 
northwest  of  the  harbor  of  Santa  Ana,  and  later  the  little  town  of 


^» 


/# 


J^ 


»»»*■- 


VKSSEL   PASSING    BETWEEN   FORTS   AT    NARROW    ENTRANCE   OF    HARBOR   OF    CURA(^AO. 

(l-'ioin  Photosrapli  by  I'gueto.) 


Willemstad  came  into  view,  the  houses  looking  so  charmingly  neat 
and  fresh  colored  that  they  seemed  to  be  china  toys. 

About  half  past  two  we  were  outside  of  the  town  ;  we  drew  nearer 
the  shore,  steamed  slowly  along  past  the  entrance  to  the  harbor, 
picked  up  the  venerable-looking  white-haired  pilot  who  came  out  to 


14 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


r 


ISLAND   OF    CI  B»C  VI) 
SANTA  ANA  HARBl.iR 


i3nnsK  \n\\ 


5&--— •  ^   !f''  ;* 


-  "^^W^^ 


"^*'-Hw.      »»<^ 


us  in  a  whale-boat  pulled  by  four  very  black  negroes,  then  Avheelecl 
sharply  around  to  our  right,  and  continued  on  the  circle  until  it 
broua;ht  us  in  between  the  two  forts  ouardino^  the  entrance. 

This  is  a  very  strange  harbor ;  its  entrance  nearly  perpendicular 
to  the  coast-line,  hardly  one  hundred  yards  wide,  and  continuing 
inland,  more  like  a  canal  than  anything  else,  for  nearly  a  mile,  when 
it  opens  out  into  a  large  and  very  irregular  bay  called  the  Schotte- 
gat,  or  more  generally  the  Lagoon.  This  canal  is  about  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  yards  wide  at  its  widest  part,  yet  runs  from 
forty-five  to  ninety  feet  in  depth,  with  its  shores  so  steep  that  the 
largest  steamers  can  safely  make  fast  within  a  few  feet  of  the  pave- 
ments, and  at  some  points  actually  tie  up  alongside.  There  are  no 
streams   on  the  island,  no  running  water,  and  no  current  or  tide 


THE  ISLAND    OF  CUBACJAO.  15 

in   this  harbor.     Its  formation  is  due  to  the  coral  structure  of  the 
island. 

The  town  lies  on  both  sides  of  tlie  harbor  mouth,  but  does  not 
extend  back  to  the  Lagoon.  The  portion  to  the  right  is  called 
Willemstad,  whilst  that  to  the  left  is  called  Overzijde  or  Otrabanda, 
wliicli  are  Dutch  and  Spanish  respectively,  and  mean  about  the  same 
as  the  English  "other  shore."  Just  l)efore  the  channel  debouches 
into  the  Lagoon,  the  land  on  either  side  rises  into  rugged  hills,  the 
one  to  the  right  being  the  higher  and  being  surmounted  by  a  small 
fortification.  Fort  Nassau.  Owing  to  the  elevation  of  this  fort,  it 
commands  a  view  of  the  sea  for  a 
long  distance  around,  and  from  it 
are  displayed  signals  announcing 
the  approach  of  vessels.  From  it, 
also,  a  time-gun  is  fired  daily. 

After  passing-  the  forts  with 
groups  of  Dutch  soldiers  in  curious 
ill-fitting  uniforms,  ridiculously  tall 
forage  caps,  and  short  heavy  swords 
at  their  sides,  we  went  through  a 
drawbridge  of  rather  novel  con- 
struction, proceeded  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  inland,  and  finally  our  vessel 
turned  around  (though  there  hard- 
ly seemed  room  for  it  to  do  so), 
and  we  tied  up  along  the  western 
shore,  sparred  off  to  a  distance  of 
fifteen  feet.  The  water  is  wonder- 
fully clear,  and  we  saw  numbers  of 
fish  of  different  kinds  and  sizes  swimming  about.  There  were  sev- 
eral other  steamers  in  the  harbor,  the  Caracas  of  the  Red  "  D  "  Line 
bound  north,  the  branch  steamer  Maracaibo,  a  German  steamer, 
and  beyond,  in  the  Lagoon,  a  couple  of  small  men-of-war,  Sj^anish 
and  Dutch. 


DUTCH    SOLDIER    AT   CURACAO. 


16  A    FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

Our  vessel  was  soon  surrounded  by  small  boats,  flat-bottomed, 
square  at  each  end,  sculled  by  very  large  and  very  black  negroes 
who  stood  on  the  back  seat.  (See  illustration  on  page  13.)  They 
brought  out  the  port  officer  and  runners  from  the  hotels  across 
the  harbor  from  us. 

Tired  of  being  cooped  up  on  shipboard,  we  thought  of  going 
over  to  spend  the  night  at  one  of  the  hotels,  although  Captain  Hop- 
kins was  kind  enough  to  ask  us  to  remain  on  the  Venezuela.  How- 
ever, as  I  had  some  misgivings,  I  concluded  to  leave  our  baggage 
on  board  until  we  had  made  an  inspection,  so  we  took  one  of  the 
small  boats  and  went  across,  first  to  the  Hotel  Commercio,  where 
we  were  shown  up  a  flight  of  steep  and  rickety  stairs  to  some  white- 
washed, bare,  and  unattractive  rooms  over  a  store ;  then  we  went  to 
the  Hotel  Sasso,  which  we  found  worse,  and  finally,  discouraged  by 
the  outlook,  we  concluded  to  accept  the  captain's  invitation.  Every- 
thing is  comparative  in  this  world.  In  less  than  two  months  we 
were  delighted  to  get  rooms  at  the  Commercio,  and  found  them 
extremely  comfortable. 

After  this  we  took  a  short  walk  through  the  streets.  We  saw 
SAvarms  of  negroes  in  every  direction,  men  and  women,  both  remark- 
able for  their  fine  size.  The  men  wore  straw  hats,  a  light  shirt,  a 
pair  of  trousers,  and  were  barefooted.  The  women  wore  turbans, 
one  dress,  and  were  barefooted,  or  at  best  wore  slipshod  slippers  or 
alpargatas.  Some  of  them  wore  dresses  but  little  below  the  knee, 
others  had  long  stiff-starched  trains  scraping  and  rattling  over  the 
pavement  behind  them,  Avhilst  the  front  of  the  dress  cleared  the 
ground  by  a  foot.  Children  Avent  naked,  or  wore  but  one  ragged 
garment.  We  saw  one  boy  of  eight  or  nine  with  nothing  but  an 
old  ])uttonless  waistcoat  which  had  belonged  to  a  stout  man,  and 
which  flapped  around  his  knees. 

The  women  carried  their  children  astride  of  one  hip ;  everything 
else  they  carried  balanced  on  the  head.  We  soon  found  it  so  hot 
that  we  returned  to  the  steamer,  and  later  Cabell  and  myself  went 
out  for  a  walk,  leaving  Alice  on  board.     We  strolled  around  the 


THE  ISLAND   OF  CURACAO. 


17 


streets  for  about  an  hour,  and  then  came  back.  We  crossed  the 
drawbridge  through  which  we  lad  passed  earher  in  the  day.  It  is 
a  pontoon  bridge,  a  number  of  whose  centre  spans  are  fastened 
rigidly  together  by  the  road-bed,  so  that  the  whole  swings  open  like 
a  gate.  On  the  pontoon  farthest  from  the  pivot  is  a  donkey-engine 
such  as  is  used  on  shipboard.  To  open  the  bridge,  this  engine  takes 
in  a  rope  fastened  to  an  anchor  up-stream ;  to  close  it,  it  hauls  in 
on  a  rope  in  the  opposite  direction.     It  is  a  toll-bridge,  the   toll 


DEAWBRIDGE   ACROSS   THE   HARBOR   AT   CURASAO. 

(From  I'lioto^raph  by  Soublctte.) 

being  two  coppers  of  Dutch  money,  about  equivalent  to  one  cent 
in  our  currency. 

The  town  is  very  picturesque  ;  the  houses  and  streets  are  remark- 
ably neat  looking.  Though  the  island  is  so  near  the  mainland,  where 
it  rains  frequently,  here  it  rains  but  seldom  ;  sometimes  two  years 
go  by  without  rain.  There  are  no  springs  or  good  wells,  and  for 
drinking  water  cisterns  are  depended  upon.     There  is,  strange  to 


18 


A    FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


say,  little  or  no  dust.  The  houses  are  of  stone  covered  with  stucco 
or  plastered,  and  are  painted  or  washed  in  different  colors.  Yellow 
is  the  prevailing  color,  but  a  number  are  blue,  green,  white,  and 
pink.     The  roofs  are  covered  with  red  tiles.     Few  of  the  windows 


DWFXLINGS   AT   CURASAO. 


are  glazed,  although  all  have  heavy  blinds,  usually  green  and 
white,  and  the  lower  windows  have  large  iron  or  wooden  bars  built 
in.  The  trimmings,  door-frames,  house  corners,  and  ridges  of  the 
roofs  are  painted  white.  A  great  many  of  the  houses  have  their 
gable  ends  facing  the  street,  but  the  slope  of  the  end  Avails  is 
prettily  broken  into  curves  and  angles,  with  appropriate  moulding 
all  along.  There  are  no  chimneys  to  the  houses.  Cooking  is  done 
over  a  handful  of  twigs  or  charcoal  in  a  little  iron  or  earthenware 
vase  like  a  fruit-dish.     They  are  much  like  a  plumber's  stove,  or 


THE   ISLAND    OF  CURACAO.  19 

like  the  stoves  that  our  laundresses  use  to  heat  their  irons.  Of 
course  one  is  required  for  each  dish,  as  only  one  article  at  the  time 
can  be  cooked  on  them.  The  stores  are  well  supplied,  and  as  this 
is  a  free  port  everything-  is  extremely  cheap,  —  many  things  being- 
much  cheaper  than  they  are  in  the  United  States. 

The  streets,  some  of  which  are  too  narrow  for  any  vehicle,  have 
no  sidewalks,  but  are  all  neatly  paved  with  water-worn  coral  blocks 
set  in  mortar.  The  pavements  are  put  down  in  regular  pattern, 
square  sections  Avith  diagonal  lines,  like  the  letter  X.     We  saw  a 


NARROW   STREET   IN   CURASAO. 


funny  little  street  car  drawn  by  a  donkey.     There  were  seats  for 
only  six  passengers,  and  the  car  carried  a  driver  and  a  conductor. 

In  the  shade  in  front  of  houses,  and  in  a  great  many  doorways, 
squatted  old  negresses  with  fruits,  peanuts,  candies,  dried  fish,  and 


20  A   FLYING   TBIP    TO    THE   TROPICS. 

charcoal  for  sale.  Among  the  tropical  fruits  which  I  tasted  for  the 
first  time  were  some  "  mamones,"  a  fruit  which  grows  in  bunches  and 
looks  like  a  large  green  grape.  The  skin  was  rougher  and  tliicker, 
and  when  bitten  split  open,  showing  a  sweetish,  yellowish  pulp 
around  a  large  stone.  I  also  tasted  some  mangoes,  a  large  pear- 
shaped  fruit  with  a  smooth  yellowish  green  skin.  This,  when  peeled 
oil,  showed  a  soft  yellow  pulp,  something  like  our  pawpaw  but  more 
fibrous.  It  had  a  sicky  sweet  taste,  with  a  flavor  of  turpentine 
that  made  it  very  disagreeable  to  me.  I  also  saw  a  fruit  called 
"  cachii,"  pear-sha^ied,  pink  and  yellow,  with  a  lead-colored  bean- 
shaped  excrescence  at  the  larger  end.  The  fruit  which  they  speak 
of  highly  here,  the  "  nispero,"  w^e  did  not  get. 

The  different  kinds  of  money  in  circulation  here  is  remarkable : 
old  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Venezuelan,  English,  Dutch,  French, — 
in  fact,  all  kinds  of  coin.  It  is  rather  confusing  to  attempt  to  pay 
an  account  made  out  in  guilders  and  florins  from  change  consist- 
ing of  francs,  shillings,  and  reals.  American  gold,  silver,  and  paper 
passes  freely,  but  not  the  five-cent  nickel.  Speaking  of  money 
reminds  me  that  an  American  contemplating  a  visit  to  South  Amer- 
ica need  never  trouble  to  get  English  gold.  American  gold  is 
taken,  and  passes  freely  everywhere. 

The  natives  speak  a  mongrel  dialect  called  "  Papamiento,"  and 
even  have  several  papers  printed  in  it.  It  resembles  Spanish  some- 
what, but  includes  a  number  of  words  of  Dutch  derivation.  I 
found  it  almost  unintelligible.  I  succeeded,  after  a  fashion,  in 
making  myself  understood  in  Spanish,  as  nearly  all  of  the  natives 
speak  a  little  of  that  language. 

Of  domestic  animals  we  saw  a  few  small  horses,  donkeys  about 
waist  high,  curs,  goats,  sheep,  chickens,  turkeys,  pigeons,  and  mus- 
covy  ducks.  We  saw  for  sale  at  different  places  a  number  of 
young  parrakeets,  green,  with  dirty  yellow  or  buff-colored  heads 
(Comtrus  pertinax).  They  were  not  fully  feathered,  and  we  were 
told  that  they  had  been  taken  towards  the  northwestern  end  of  the 
island. 


THE  ISLAND    OF  CURACAO.  21 

In  a  negro's  house,  near  the  steamer,  we  saw  in  a  cage  a  number 
of  young  birds,  none  o£  them  fully  fledged.  There  were  some 
doves,  which  were  the  same  as  the  little  ground  dove  of  our  South- 
ern States  {Colunibigallina  jmsserina).  There  was  also  a  pigeon, 
considerably  larger,  of  a  wine-colored  gray,  with  white  feathers  in 
its  wings  {Columha  gymnoptJialDia),  This  was  an  undeveloped 
squab.  The  man  called  it  "  paloma  con  alas  blancas,"  white- winged 
dove.  There  were  also  three  partridges,  which,  at  first  sight,  I 
thought  were  the  same  as  our  Virginia  bob-white ;  but  I  soon  saw 
that  they  were  different.  They  were  about  half  grown,  and  had  a 
marked  resemblance  to  the  bob-white  in  shape  and  in  coloration 
of  their  backs  and  tails.  Their  throats  were  white,  with  some 
reddish  brown  feathers  among  them  ;  but  the  distinguishing  feature 
was  a  long  recurved  crest  of  whitish  feathers,  which  they  carried 
continually  erect  [Eu2)siichortyx  cristatus).  All  of  these  had  been 
caught  within  a  short  distance  of  the  town.  We  also  saw  flying 
about,  and  heard  it  singing,  a  bird  very  much  like  our  mocking-bird 
(Mimus  gilmcs  rosti^atus).  I  saw  hovering  over  some  flowers  on 
the  parapet  of  one  of  the  forts  a  small  brilliantly  green  humming- 
bird [Chloi'ostllhon  atala). 

On  the  stones  in  the  water's  edge  along  the  harbor  we  saw  quan- 
tities of  sea-urchins,  with  spines  eight  inches  long,  barred  with 
black  and  white  (Diadema  setosum).  Before  turning  in  for  the 
night,  we  decided  to  go  out  with  a  gun  early  the  next  morning, 
and  I  arranged  for  the  negro  who  had  the  caged  birds  to  go  along 
with  us  as  a  guide. 

Saturday,  June  18,  1892.  I  was  awake  by  five  o'clock ;  woke 
Cabell,  and  we  dressed  hurriedly,  and  left  the  ship,  taking  our 
smaller  gun  and  only  fifteen  squibs  of  dust-shot  and  a  few  heavy 
cartridges.  We  found  our  guide  waiting  patiently  for  us,  and 
struck  off  up  the  hill  to  the  northwest.  It  is  forbidden  for  any  one 
to  go  through  the  streets  with  a  gun  here ;  but  I  had  on  a  hunting 
coat,  with  voluminous  game  pockets,  in  which  I  put  the  stock  and 
barrels,  and  did  not  put  my  gun  together  until  we  were  beyond  the 


22 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE   TROPICS. 


limits  of  the  town.  We  had  hardly  gone  two  hundred  yards  when 
we  began  to  see  numbers  of  the  small  ground  doves ;  and  I  shot 
two,  one  a  male  in  fine  plumage.  They  were,  as  I  had  thought, 
the  same  as  those  found  in  our  Southern  States. 

We  first  followed  out  a  ridge  running  west  for  about  a  mile 
:ind  a  half.  The  country  was  very  rough  and  hilly,  the  rock  out- 
crojiping  in  every  direction.  In  places,  the  ground  was  covered 
with  fragments  of  the  fossil  coral,  looking  like  pieces  of  bones ;  in 
others,  the  outcropping  rock  was  as  rugged  and  sharp  as  slag  from 
a  blast  furnace.  The  surface  was  covered  with  a  dry,  thorny  scrub, 
about  three  feet  high,  and  the  stems  of  this  scrub  were  loaded  with 
small,  oblong,  oval  snails,  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  32-calibre 

rifle-ball.  In  walkino-  alongf  we 
crushed  so  many  under  foot  that 
our  shoes  were  made  quite  sticky. 
In  this  scrub  I  saw  and  heard  sev- 
eral little  yellow  birds,  and  shot 
one,  which,  on  picking  up,  I  found 
to  be  a  warbler,  —  a  male.  It 
was  much  like  our  yellow  w^arbler, 
except  that  its  forehead  and 
crown  were  chestnut  [Dendroica 
rufo^nleata).  Along  here  we  also 
saw  a  number  of  small  finch-like 
birds,  and  Cabell  shot  a  pair  (Euethela  hlcolor).  The  male  Avas 
dark  slate  about  the  head  and  breast,  the  rest  of  its  plumage 
greenish  gray.  The  female  was  plain  greenish  gray.  They  have 
very  high  culmens,  and  look  like  little  grosbeaks.  We  heard  them 
sina-injr  in  all  directions.  Farther  on  we  turned  to  our  right,  and 
went  down  into  a  little  valley,  where  there  was  a  small  pool  of 
brackish  water,  and  here  were  some  few  trees,  a  couple  of  tama- 
rinds, some  date  palms,  and  a  number  of  calabash-trees.  The  cala- 
bashes are  spherical  or  oval,  smooth,  and  green  Hke  small  water- 
melons, and  grow  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree  or  side  of  the  large 


CUKAgAO    LAND    SHELL    (pUPA    UVA,    LINN.). 


THE  ISLAND    OF  CUKACAO. 


23 


limbs,  and  not  at  the  end  of  a  twig.  We  ate  some  of  the  tama- 
rinds, and  fonnd  them  quite  refreshing-.  There  was  also  another 
scrubby  tree,  hardly  fit  to  be  called  a  tree,  with  straggling-  thorny 
limbs  and  small  leaves,  like  our  honey  locust.  This  tree  was  scat- 
tered pretty  generally  over  the  hills,  and  we  noticed  a  peculiarity 
about  it,  that  is,  that  the  majority  of  its  branches  pointed  towards 
the  west.  This  is  a  result  of  the  trade  wind  blowing  constantly 
from  the  east.  This  tree  bore  a  few  tiny  yellow  blossoms,  and 
around  these  we  found  some  humming-birds.  I  missed  the  first 
one  that  I  shot  at ;  but  later  Cabell  killed  a  pair.  They  w^ere 
smaller  than  our  ruby-throat,  the  male  a 
most  beautiful  glittering  green,  its  tail 
steely  blue,  almost  black,  its  wings  dark 
purplish  brown.  The  second  was  either  a 
female,  or  young,  and  Avas  similar  to  the 
first,  except  that  its  colors  were  less  bril- 
liant. It  had  some  dark  grayish  feathers 
below  and  a  white  streak  on  each  side  of  its 
head.  Both  had  little  downy  white  puffs 
around  their  vents  [Cldorostilhon  ataJa). 
A  little  later  I  shot  a  large  sparrow,  quite  like  our  white-crowned 
sparrow.  Its  head  w\as  handsomely  marked  witli  black  and  gray, 
and  it  had  a  chestnut  collar  at  the  back  of  its  neck  {Zonotrichla 
2^'ileata).  In  a  calabash-tree  near  here  I  shot  a  species  of  honey- 
creeper  {Coereha  uropygicdls).  It  was  slate-brown  above,  its  breast 
and  rump  yellow,  its  head  and  throat  slate-black,  with  a  white 
stripe  above  each  eye.  There  was  a  fleshy  excrescence  at  its  gape, 
which  was  pinkish  red  when  the  bird  was  fresh,  but  which  faded 
rapidly.     Its  tongue  had  a  peculiar  brushy  tip. 

We  went  on  as  far  as  a  convent  and  an  orphan  asylum,  where  one 
of  the  nuns,  a  negress,  gave  us  a  drink  of  water.  We  then  turned 
back,  and  reached  the  ship  about  nine.  The  roads  near  the  convent 
were  excellent,  and  had  on  either  side  a  hedge  of  a  species  of  cactus 
which  grew  up  like  tall  posts  to  ten,  fifteen,  and  even  twenty  feet  in 


CHLOROSTILBON    SPLENDIDUS. 

(After  Elliot.) 


24  A    FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 

height.  We  found  other  kinds  gi-owing  about ;  one  esj^ecially  trou- 
blesome resembled  our  prickly  pear,  but  had  very  long  thorns. 
These  appeared  to  have  barbs  on  them,  for  when  they  entered  the 
flesh  they  had  to  be  picked  to  pieces  before  they  could  be  extracted. 


"cactus   .    .    .    TEN,   FIFTEEN,    AND    EVEN    TWENTY    FEET    IN    HEIGHT." 


When  we  brushed  against  one  of  these  plants,  a  whole  segment 
would  break  off  and  hang  dangling  from  our  clothes.  On  our  way 
back  we  saw  a  pair  of  small  hawks  {Thimmcnhis  sj^orverms  brevi- 
2')enms),  and  got  a  couple  of  good  shots  at  them,  but  the  cartridges 
that  I  happened  to  have  with  me  had  been  loaded  for  several  years 
and  were  worthless,  so  we  failed  to  get  one.  They  seemed  to  be 
much  the  same  as  our  sparrow-hawk.  Our  guide  said  that  they 
were  called  "  cliiki  cliiki,"  from  their  cry,  which  much  resembled 
this  word,  and  that  they  fed  on  the  lizards,  "  larguitos,"  which  liter- 


THE  ISLAND    OF  CURACAO. 


25 


ally  swarmed  through  the  scrub,  —  repulsive-lookiug  creatures,  some 
green,  some  brown,  and  all  sjDotted  and  blotched  with  lighter  color. 
I  was  told  that  the  green  ones  were  males.     They  lived  in  burrows. 

We  also  saw  at  a  distance  some  yellow  and  black  orioles  [Icterus 
xantliornus  curasoensis).  Our  guide  called  them  "  tropiales,"  but 
they  were  not  the  common  troupial.  We  saw  numbers  of  the  mock- 
ing-birds, but  I  had  no  more  cartridges,  so  could  not  get  any.  The 
guide  called  them  "  ruiseiior,"  which  is  Spanish  for  nightingale.  I 
saw  a  small  red  butterfly,  and  some  very  small  grayish  blue  ones. 

When  we  returned,  we  found   that  in   our   absence   an  English 


MAIN    STREET,  CURAgAO. 

(From  Pliotograjih  by  Soublette.) 


tramp  steamer,  the  Navigator,  of  the  Harrison  Line,  had  come  in 
and  would  sail  for  Savanilla  the  same  afternoon,  so  I  hastened  over 
to  see  her  commander.  Captain  Owen,  and  secure  our  staterooms. 
I  found  the  Navigator  to  be  a  large  freight  steamer  with  only  six 
staterooms,   the    accommodations    being    naturally    far    inferior    in 


26 


A    FLYING   TRIP    TO    THE   TBOPICS. 


every  respect  to  those  of  the  Venezuela.     However,  we  were  anxious 
to  hurry  on,  so  I  took  passage  for  us,  for  which  I  had  to  pay  twenty 
dollars  apiece  in  gold.     We  took  lunch  on  the  Venezuela,  and  after- 
wards I  skinned  the  birds    that 
we  had  shot  in  the  morning.     I 
had  never  skinned   a   humming- 
bird before,  and  the  first  one  that 
I  tried  was  such  a  sorry-looking 


object  when  I  had  fin- 
ished, that  I  simply 
opened  the  second,  took 
out  the  intestines,  and  filled  it  with  dry  arsenic.  This  is  the  way 
that  I  preserved  nearly  all  of  the  humming-birds  that  I  secured  on 
this  trip,  and  I  afterwards  had  cause  to  regret  it.  Though  they 
look  well  enough  at  first,  and  though  the  flesh  is  preserved,  it 
shrivels  until  the  skin  is  distorted ;  and,  again,  if  the  birds  are 
packed  away  in  a  trunk  for  a  week  or  ten  days  without  being- 
aired,  they  are  apt  to  be  mouldy  and  mildewed  when  taken  out.  I 
should  advise  all  collectors  to  skin  their  humming-birds  as  they  do 
larger  birds. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  we  took  a  short  walk  through  the  streets, 
went  into  the  old  Dutch  fort  to  the  post-office,  mailed  some  letters, 
came  back  to  say  good-by  to  our  friends  on  the  Venezuela,  then 
had  our  baggage  taken  over  to  the  Navigator,  and  settled  ourselves 
in  our  staterooms.  As  we  crossed  the  harbor,  I  saw  flying  over, 
high  in  the  air,  a  frigate  pelican  [Frefjata  aquila).  It  sailed  along 
gracefully,  opening  and  closing  its  scissor-like  tail. 

We  cast  loose  our  lines  about  half  past  four,  soon  passed  out  of 


THE  ISLAND    OF  CUBACAO. 


27 


the  harbor,  headed  slightly  to  the 
north  of  west,  and  before  night- 
fall Curagao  had  sunk  out  of  our 
sight.  We  ran  along  with  a 
strong  current  and  wind  in  our  favor,  and  the  ship  rolled  consider- 
ably, but  fortunately  I  had  no  recurrence  of  my  unpleasant  expe- 
rience on  the  Venezuela. 

The  second  night  before  reaching  Curagao,  I  saw  for  the  first 
time  that  constellation  of  which  we  have  all  so  often  heard,  the 
Southern  Cross,  and  this 
night  we  had  a  much  better 
view  of  it.  I  must  confess 
to  being  greatly  disappoint- 
ed. The  stars  are  not  so 
brigfht  as  I  had  been  tauaht 
to  expect,  nor  is  the  cross  a 
symmetrical  one  in  any  way. 
The  arms  are  not  perpen- 
dicular to  the  vertical  part, 
nor  are  they  of  equal  length. 
The     accompanying     figure 

gives  the  Southern  Cross  as  represented  in  the  geography  that  I 
studied  when  a  schoolboy,  and  a  second  figure  of  the  cross  in  more 
nearly  its  true  proportions. 


THE    SOUTHERN    CROSS    OF    THE    GEOGRAPHIES   AND 
THE    TRUE    SOUTHERN    CROSS. 


28  A   FLYING   TBIP    TO   THE   TROPICS. 

We  were  on  board  all  the  clay  o£  Sunday,  June  19,  and  went 
along"  nicely  with  wind  and  current  in  our  favor.  I  saw  durino- 
the  day  a  few  petrels,  and  some  large  gannets,  white,  with  black 
wing-tips,  like  the  common  one  of  our  north  Atlantic  coast.  We 
expected  to  reach  Savanilla  on  the  following  morning.  It  Avas  cloudy 
and  hot  during  the  day,  and  there  were  several  small  showers. 

This  would  seem  to  be  an  appropriate  jjlace  to  make  a  few 
remarks  about  Colombia.  I  will  not  attemjit  to  give  a  lengthy 
account  of  the  country ;  for  this  I  would  refer  to  the  Encyclopedia, 
to  Bulletin  No.  33  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Republics,  or  to 
some  of  the  works  mentioned  in  the  appendix ;  but  I  will  simply 
refer  to  some  of  the  leadino-  features. 

The  Republic  of  Colombia  consists  of  nine  divisions  or  depart- 
ments, each  having  a  capital  of  its  own,  and  is  situated  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  South  America.  Its  northwestern  extremity,  the 
department  of  Panama,  joins  Central  America ;  on  the  southern 
boundary  is  the  Republic  of  Ecuador,  and  to  the  east  lies  Venezuela 
and  Brazil.  Our  ideas  of  the  relative  size  of  the  South  American 
republics  are  apt  to  be  vague.  For  instance,  the  area  of  Colombia  is 
over  500,000  square  miles,  or  equal  to  the  combined  area  of  the 
New  England  States,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Dela- 
ware, Ohio,  Indiana,  Virginia,  West  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Tennessee, 
North  Carolina,  and  Georgia.  It  is  of  irregular  shape ;  its  greatest 
length  is  about  1,250  miles,  its  breadth  1,100  miles,  that  is,  each 
dimension  is,  roughly,  a  third  greater  than  the  distance  from  New 
York  to  Chicago.  It  is  one  of  the  most  mountainous  countries  in 
the  world.  The  great  Andes  of  Ecuador,  crossing  its  southern 
boundary,  split  into  three  nearly  parallel  ranges.  The  western 
range  follows  the  Pacific  coast,  decreasing  in  altitude  as  it  enters  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  The  central  range  runs  directly  north  until  it 
terminates  about  one  hundred  miles  from  the  Caribbean  Sea.  On 
its  western  side  flows  the  Cauca,  on  its  eastern  the  Magdalena, 
which  unite  at  its  termination  and  continue  northward  to  the  sea. 
The  eastern  range  is  more  irregular  and  bears  oif  to  the  northeast. 


[d]  11  [Qi]b]  0  LuiH  ii  sa  L^a  ij  aiisiiia  [i:^  sia^^ 

L.'f.yrtgkt  tHq.i,  by  Hm    -M.  BradUy. 


THE   ISLAND    OF  CURACAO.  21) 

A  portion  extends  through  Venezuela,  whilst  another  portion  con- 
tinues as  far  as  the  Caribbean,  Avliere,  near  Santa  Marta,  it  rises  in 
snowy  peaks  16,500  feet  above  the  sea.  From  the  eastern  slope  of 
this  range  countless  rivers  flow  into  the  Amazon,  the  Negro,  and  the 
Orinoco.  The  Magdalena,  which  is  practically  the  only  highway  in 
Colombia,  has  a  dangerous  bar  at  its  mouth,  but  above  this  is  navi- 
gable by  steamers  of  light  draught  to  Yeguas,  a  distance  of  some 
630  miles.  Here  there  is  an  interruption  due  to  rapids,  but  above 
Honda  small  steamers  continue  the  navigation  to  Neiva,  and  canoes 
are  used  even  farther,  making  the  total  navigable  length  nearly 
1,000  miles.  From  Honda  to  the  sea  the  river  falls  between  800 
and  1,000  feet,  so  is  very  swift,  and  were  it  not  for  its  crookedness, 
the  current  would  prevent  navigation.  Climates  of  all  tempera- 
tures, from  torrid  heat  to  perpetual  snow,  are  found  in  Colombia, 
and  due  to  its  broken  surface  it  has  two  rainy  and  two  dry  seasons. 
For  the  Magdalena  Valley,  March,  April,  May,  and  September, 
October,  and  November  are  the  rainy  months,  but  the  line  between 
the  seasons  is  not  suddenly  or  sharply  drawn. 

Though  there  are  a  number  of  little  fragments  of  railroads 
throughout  Colombia,  there  is  no  railroad  system  proper,  and  where 
transportation  cannot  be  had  by  water,  dependence  mast  be  placed 
upon  mules.  Thus  the  capital  of  the  Republic,  a  city  of  over 
100,000  inhabitants  is  inaccessible  by  wheeled  conveyance.  There 
is  said  to  be  a  poor  wagon  road  from  the  rivei-  to  the  south  of 
Honda,  but  it  is  seldom  used. 


THE   ISLAND    OF  CURACAO.  21) 

A  portion  extends  tliiougli  Venezuela,  whilst  another  portion  con- 
tinues as  far  as  the  Caribbean,  Avliere,  near  Santa  Marta,  it  rises  in 
snowy  peaks  16,500  feet  above  the  sea.  From  the  eastern  slope  of 
this  range  countless  rivers  flow  into  the  Amazon,  the  Negro,  and  the 
Orinoco.  The  Magdalena,  which  is  practically  the  onl}^  highway  in 
Colombia,  luis  a  dangerous  bar  at  its  mouth,  but  above  this  is  navi- 
gable by  steamers  of  light  draught  to  Yeguas,  a  distance  of  some 
630  miles.  Here  there  is  an  interruption  due  to  rapids,  but  above 
Honda  small  steamers  continue  the  navigation  to  Neiva,  and  canoes 
are  used  even  farther,  making  the  total  navigable  length  nearly 
1,000  miles.  From  Honda  to  the  sea  the  river  falls  between  800 
and  1,000  feet,  so  is  very  swift,  and  Avere  it  not  for  its  crookedness, 
the  current  would  prevent  navigation.  Climates  of  all  tempera- 
tures, from  torrid  heat  to  perpetual  snow,  are  found  in  Colombia, 
and  due  to  its  broken  surface  it  has  two  rainy  and  two  dry  seasons. 
For  the  Magdalena  Valley,  March,  April,  May,  and  September, 
October,  and  November  are  the  rainy  months,  but  the  line  between 
the  seasons  is  not  suddenly  or  sharply  drawn. 

Though  there  are  a  number  of  little  fragments  of  railroads 
throughout  Colombia,  there  is  no  railroad  system  proper,  and  where 
transportation  cannot  be  had  by  water,  dependence  must  be  placed 
upon  mules.  Thus  the  capital  of  the  Republic,  a  city  of  over 
100,000  inhabitants  is  inaccessible  by  wheeled  conveyance.  There 
is  said  to  be  a  poor  wagon  road  from  the  rivei-  to  the  south  of 
Honda,  but  it  is  seldom  used. 


CHAPTER  III. 

BARRANQUILLA. 

Monday,  June  20,  1892.  I  looked  out  of  the  porthole  of  our 
little  stateroom  by  daybreak  this  morning,  and  althoug-h  I  could 
see  no  land  on  account  of  a  heavy  mist,  I  knew  that  we  were  near 
the  delta  of  the  Magdalena.  The  sea  was  very  muddy  for  many 
miles  and  covered  with  floating  water  plants  and  driftwood.  In  a 
short  time  the  mist  lifted  and  Ave  began  to  catch  little  glimpses  of 
the  Colombian  coast.  We  soon  got  our  things  together  and  came 
on  deck,  all  excitement  at  the  prospect  of  landing  in  a  few  hours. 
We  finally  came  to  anchor  at  half  past  eight  about  a  mile  from  the 
land  at  Puerto  Colombia.  Savanilla  was  formerly  the  port,  but 
the  shifting  sands  have  filled  in  the  deep  water  there,  so  now  the 
landing  is  several  miles  farther  to  the  west.  The  harbor  is  a  very 
exposed  one,  and  I  should  think  dangerous.  There  were  several 
German  and  English  steamers  lying  at  anchor.  We  were  shortly 
visited  by  the  inspector  of  the  port  in  a  little  cockle-shell  of  a  tug 
with  an  excruciatingly  shrill  whistle,  and  about  nine  o'clock  we  got 
aboard  of  her  and  were  taken  ashore.  On  the  tug  were  several 
passengers  who  had  come  from  one  of  the  other  steamers,  and  on 
our  way  to  the  shore  I  made  the  accpiaintance  of  one  of  them,  a  Mr. 
Lindauer  of  New  York,  engaged  in  business  in  Bogota.  Afterwards 
we  saw  a  good  deal  of  each  other,  and  as  he  Avas  familiar  with  the 
country,  he  Avas  of  great  assistance  to  us  on  a  number  of  occasions, 
and  Avent  to  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  help  us. 

We  finally  reached  the  landing,  Avhich  was  nothing  but  a  fcAv 
♦extremely  slippery  boards  nailed  to  some  Avorm-eaten  piles  in  the 


BARRANQUILLA. 


31 


rUERTO   COLOMBIA. 

(After  Millican.) 


water's  edge.  Our  satchels  were  tossed  upon  the  hinding,  and  we 
scrambled  up  as  best  we  could,  almost  on  our  hands  and  knees. 
Once  on  top,  we  were  surrounded  by  a  perfect  swarm  of  half-clad 
Indians  and  half-breeds  of  all  sizes,  who  insisted  upon  carrying-  our 
things  for  us,  whether  we  wished  them  to  do  so  or  not.  Our  trunks 
we  could  not  take  with  us ;  we  would  have  to  get  them  at  the 
custom-house  in  Barranquilla.  The  satchels  of  our  fellow-travelers 
were  inspected  by  the  customs  officers  at  the  landing,  whilst  the 
rabble  crowded  around  and  examined  everything  critically.  Upon 
showing  my  special  passport,  we  were  allowed  to  carry  off  our 
things  without  their  being  inspected. 

Puerto  Colombia  is  nothino-  but  a  collection  of  a  half  dozen 
wretched  bamboo  huts  plastered  with  mud  and  thatched  with  reeds. 
The  huts  have  no  floors  ;  there  are  stagnant  pools  of  slimy  water' 


32  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

ill  every  direction,  some  even  encroaching  on  the  houses  ;  a  few 
pigs  wander  hstlessly  about,  and  everything  looks  indescribably 
filthy.  There  is  an  iron  screw-pile  pier  in  process  of  construction, 
alongside  of  which,  when  completed,  it  is  intended  for  steamers  to 
lie,  but  it  looked  very  weak  to  me. 

We  went  ahead  about  one  hundred  yards  to  the  railroad  station, 
where  I  got  our  tickets,  and  we  boarded  the  train  which  was  wait- 
ing. The  road  is  a*  narrow  gauge ;  the  cars  of  two  classes  and  some- 
what of  the  appearance  of  our  street  cars.  The  freight  cars  are  like 
the  little  closed  trucks  used  in  transferrino^  bag-o^asfe  across  the  New 
York  ferries.  Our  train  left  for  Barranquilla  at  half  past  nine,  and 
arrived  there  shortly  after  eleven.  The  distance  is  18,5  miles.  We 
first  followed  the  seashore  for  several  miles,  then  turned  to  the  rioht 
and  struck  across  country.  The  country  that  we  passed  through 
was  covered  with  a  jungle  of  scrubby,  thorny  trees  ;  no  very  large 
ones,  with  now  and  then  a  small  grove  of  cocoanut  palms.  In  a 
number  of  places  rose  large  post-like  cacti.  The  soil  was  sandy, 
with  a  limestone  outcropping  at  a  few  places.  The  Magdalena  was 
at  its  highest  at  this  time  ;  consequently  the  whole  country  was 
flooded,  and  lakes  and  lagoons  extended  on  both  sides  of  the  track. 

As  soon  as  the  train  moved  off,  I  began  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout 
of  the  windows  for  birds.  We  saw  large  flocks  of  brown  pelicans 
{Pelecanus  fHscus),  numbers  of  white  egrets  (Ardea  efjretta),  and 
snowy  herons  [A.  candidisslma),  small  grayish  herons  similar  to  our 
green  heron  but  smaller  [Butoi'ldes  cf/amirus),  black  vultures  (Ca- 
fharista  atrata),  flocks  of  large  black  ducks  with  a  white  spot  in 
each  wing  (Cairlna  moschcda),  pairs  of  large  black  and  white  stilts 
with  red  legs  {IliTnantojJUS  mexiecmus),  great  numbers  of  a  species 
of  jagana,  dark,  with  a  bright  red  frontal  crest,  and  apparently  all 
the  feathers  in  the  last  joint  of  their  wings  whitish  {Ja<;ana  nigra), 
large  crow-blackbirds,  the  females  chocolate-colored  [Quiscalus  as- 
siniilis),  long-tailed  anis  [Crotophaga  sidcirosfris),  kingfishers, 
larger  than  ours  but  with  the  same  discordant  rattle  {Ceryle  tor- 
quata),  pigeons,  ground  doves,  and  quantities  of  flycatchers  of  dif- 


BARBANQUILLA. 


33 


fereiit  kinds.  As  we  drew  nearer  Barranquilla  I  saw  a  flock  of 
birds  flying-  with  rapid  wing-beats,  looking-  just  like  a  flock  of  our 
doves  ;  but  as  they  veered  oft',  the  sunlight  struck  them  and  I  saw 
that  they  were  light  green  in  color.  They  were  parrakeets,  the 
flrst  birds  that  I  had  seen  on  the  mainland  answering-  my  expecta- 
tions as  regards  tropical  birds.  Later  on,  several  flocks  flew  by  the 
train  near  enough  for  me  to  hear  their  harsh,  screeching  notes. 
Just  after  leaving  the  seashore,  I  noticed  on  both  sides  of  the 


HOTEL    VICTORIA    AND   AMERICAN    CONSILATE,    BARRANQUILLA. 


track  among  the  trees  a  great  many  burrows  with  a  little  mound  of 
earth  thrown  up  around  the  entrance,  and  in  each  of  these  I  could 
see  a  large  blue  crab  ( Cardlosoma  gufuihuml). 

Our  three  guns,  which  were  in  their  canvas  covers  and  strapped 
in  one  bundle,  had  been  passed  by  the  inspector  at  Puerto  Colom- 
bia, and  we  anticipated  no  more  trouble  about  them ;  but,  to  our 


34  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

disgust,  when  we  were  leaving  the  station  at  Barranquilla,  an  old 
mulatto  insisted  on  takino-  them  to  the  custom-house.  Arafuments 
were  of  no  avail ;   we  had  to  give  them  up. 

At  the  depot  we  took  a  carriage,  a  little  open  concern  drawn  by 
diminutive  mules,  and  drove  first  to  the  Pension  Ingles,  a  hotel  kept 
by  a  young  Englishwoman,  a  Miss  Hoare.  Unfortunately  for  us, 
she  had  no  vacant  rooms,  though  she  promised  to  let  us  have  some 
on  the  following  day.  From  here  we  drove  to  the  Hotel  Colombia, 
with  no  better  success.  Finally,  at  the  Hotel  Victoria  we  secured 
a  couple  of  rooms.  The  hotel  was  a  single-story  building,  one  room 
deep,  facing  the  street.  Back  of  this  was  a  large  courtyard  filled 
with  beautiful  flowers  and  fruit  trees.  This  would  have  been  a 
delightful  place,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  all  the  slops  from 
the  bedrooms  were  regularly  thrown  under  the  shrubbery.  Back 
of  this  court  and  facing  it  was  a  row  of  bedrooms,  and  we  were 
given  two  of  these.  The  rooms  were  dirty,  with  cement  floors,  plas- 
tered walls,  the  under  side  of  the  roof  for  the  ceiling.  There  Avas  a 
heavy  door  in  front,  and  one  window  in  rear  protected  by  wooden 
bars.  It  had  blinds,  but  no  glass.  From  its  name  we  expected  to 
find  this  an  English  hotel,  but  it  was  kept  by  a  native  woman,  and 
practically  managed  by  the  negro  waiter,  Sam. 

In  our  hurry  in  the  morning  we  had  left  the  ship  without  break- 
fasting, and  here,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  we  did 
not  get  our  breakfast  until  after  twelve  o'clock,  so  we  were  very 
hungry.  Breakfast  was  served  in  the  piazza  facing  the  court.  We 
had  some  strange  dishes,  none  of  them  very  good  to  my  taste,  but 
the  coffee  Avas  excellent.  The  fresh  meat  is  stringy  and  tough. 
Rice  is  well  cooked,  but  is  dark  colored. 

After  breakfast  I  went  out  alone  to  attend  to  a  few  matters.  I 
first  called  at  the  American  consul's,  but  found  him  out.  A  few 
hours  later  I  was  told  that  there  was  a  man  in  the  house  at  the 
time  suffering  from  yellow  fever,  which  he  had  contracted  at  some 
mines  up  the  river.  This  was  rather  pleasant  for  me,  especially  as 
I  had  entered  the  house.     From  here  I  went  to  the  custom-house 


36  A   FLYING   TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 

and  after  a  great  deal  of  wrangling  succeeded  in  getting  our  guns. 
The  officials  made  but  little  objection  to  my  taking  the  shot  guns, 
but  haggled  a  great  deal  over  the  rifle.  After  my  repeated  assur- 
ances that  I  had  no  warlike  intentions,  they  finally  gave  it  up  to  me. 

I  then  went  to  the  Banco  Nacional  and  cashed  a  bill  of  exchanofe 
for  $500  in  American  gold,  getting  for  it  $1,000  in  Colombian 
paper  currency.  As  a  great  part  of  this  was  given  to  me  in  small 
notes,  I  had  nearly  a  satchel  full  of  money  and  felt  very  opulent. 
The  paper  notes  in  circulation  are  the  hundred,  fifty,  twenty,  ten, 
five,  and  one  dollar  or  peso,  and  the  fifty,  twenty,  and  ten  cents,  or 
centavos.  The  peso  is  regarded  as  divided  into  one  hundred  cen- 
tavos,  corresponding  to  our  cent,  and  into  ten  reales,  corresponding 
to  our  dime.  There  are  also  three  nickel  coins,  media,  cuartilla, 
etc.,  corresponding  to  5,  2j,  and  1|  centavos.  Silver  coins  are  very 
scarce.  Besides  a  few  cuartillas  I  saw  only  two  others,  both  fifty-cent 
pieces,  which  I  bought  and  kept  as  curiosities.  Gold  I  did  not  see. 
There  are  certain  designations  of  currency  wdiich  are  apt  to  confuse 
a  stranger ;  for  instance,  there  are  terms  which  would  nearly  corre- 
spond, if  translated,  to  "  hard  "  and  "  soft  "  dollars.  A  "  jjeso 
fuerte,"  or,  as  it  is  often  called,  a  "  fuerte,"  means  a  dollar  of  ten 
reales,  whilst  a  peso  is  generally  taken  to  mean  a  soft  dollar  of  eight 
reales. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  we  drove  around  to  the  market  and  bought 
some  sleeping-mats,  or  "  esteras."  We  had  supper  about  six,  and, 
being  tired  out,  went  to  bed  early. 

Barranquilla,  although  it  covers  a  considerable  area  and  contains 
a  population  of  over  20,000  inhabitants,  does  not  amount  to  much 
as  a  city  except  in  a  commercial  sense.  There  are  very  few  two- 
story  houses;  nearly  all  are  of  one  story,  the  majority  built  of  bam- 
boo and  mud,  plastered  and  whitewashed  and  thatched  with  rushes. 
The  floors  are  of  mud  or  brick.  All  of  the  windows  on  the  street 
are  protected  by  a  framework  of  iron  or  wooden  bars  which  \)\o- 
jects  about  a  foot  from  the  wall.  The  houses  are  unprepossess- 
ing from  the  outside,  but  as  Ave  passed  along  the  streets  we  caught 


BA  RRANQ  UILLA .  37 

glimpses  through  open  doors  of  channing-  inner  courts  filled  with 
beautiful  Howers  and  plants.  We  noticed  a  peculiarity  in  the  way 
that  the  furniture  was  arranged  in  the  parlors.  There  were  usually 
about  six  black  rocking-chairs  of  bent  wood  in  the  room,  and  they 
were  in  the  centre  and  facing  each  other  in  a  double  row,  so  close 
that  they  nearly  touched. 

The  furniture  of  our  bedrooms  was  meagre  in  the  extreme  ;  an 
enameled  tin  wash-basin  and  pitcher,  a  chair,  an  arrangement  called 
a  cot,  but  in  reality  a  canvas  stretcher  fastened  to  a  saw-horse.     We 


MARKET    COURT,    BARRANQUILLA. 


spread  our  matting  over  this  canvas,  then  a  sheet  over  the  matting, 
and  the  bed  was  made.  Each  cot  had  a  good  mosquito  net  sus- 
pended above  it. 

In  the  market  we  saw  a  number  of  curious  thino-s.     The  market 
building  is  a  large  one-story  structure  with  an  arcade  on  three  sides 


38 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE   TROPICS. 


and  a  court  in  the  centre.  The  side  without  the  arcade  is  on 
the  water's  edge,  a  side  channel  of  the  Magdalena.  This  front 
was  crowded  with  canoes,  all  dug  out  of  single  logs,  and  some  of 
surprising  size. 

We  saw  a  great  variety  of  fruits.     The  sellers  were  mainly  women, 


DUG-OUTS  ALONG  THE  MARKET  FRONT. 


who  squatted  with  their  wares  exposed  in  front  of  them.  The  lower 
classes  here  seem  to  be  clean  and  good-looking ;  some  of  the  w^omen 
are  quite  pretty.  They  wear  dresses  low  necked  and  short  sleeved 
with  very  short  waists,  a  la  Madame  Recamier ;  no  head  covering 
beyond  a  shawl ;  their  hair  neatly  arranged ;  a  great  many  with 
bright  flowers  in  it.  Children  up  to  eight  or  nine  go  naked,  or 
nearly  so.  We  saw  several  little  babies,  barely  a  month  old,  lying 
on   the  sidewalk   sleeping,  naked  and   alone,  Avith   nothing   under 


BARRANQUILLA. 


39 


them  except  perhaps  an  okl  piece   of  bagging  or  a  few  plantain 
leaves. 

The  water  front  of  the  market  seemed  to  be  the  place  of  sale  for 
fish.  Although  we  saw  no  fresh  fish,  there  were  immense  heaps  of 
dried  fish,  split  in  the  same  way  that  our  fishermen  prepare  mack- 
erel. The  greater  part  were  small,  but  there  were  some  large  ones 
with  immense  scales.  One  that  I  examined  closely  looked  to  me 
exactly  like  the  figures  of  the  tarpon.  It  had  the  same  general 
shape,  the  same  thin,  projecting  under  jaw,  the  large  eye  and  scales, 
and  the  pointed  projection  from  the  dorsal  fin.  The  Indian  name 
Avas  "  savalo,"  and  they  said  that  it  came  from  higher  up  the  river. 


THE    SAVALO    OR    TARPON. 

(From  Goodc's  "  American  Fishes.") 


Those  that  I  saw  were  about  two  and  a  half  feet  long.  Mr.  Milli- 
can,  in  his  "  Adventures  of  an  Orchid  Hunter,"  p.  103,  speaks  of 
this  fish,  and  says  that  he  has  seen  specimens  "  seven  feet  long  and 
two  feet  six  inches  in  girth  "  !  We  also  saw  great  piles  of  dried 
shrimps,  which  were  sold  by  measure.  They  are  eaten  boiled  with 
rice,  but  in  my  estimation  the  rice  is  sadly  damaged  by  the 
addition. 

There  is  in  the  town  a  street-car  line,  where  little  cars  are  drawn 
by  sorry-looking  mules,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  patronized.  The 
streets  are  paved  in  but  a  few  places ;  the  rest  is  soft  white  sand, 
trying  to  the  eyes  when  the  sun  is  shining,  and  making  all  driving 
very  heavy. 


40 


A   FLYING   TEIP    TO   THE    TROPICS. 


COFFEE    SELLERS,    BAKRANQUILLA. 


A  great  many  small  donkeys  are  used,  and  although  they  are  not 
much  larger  than  mastiffs,  men  ride  them,  sitting  cross-legged  like 
tailors,  to  prevent  their  feet  from  dragging.  One  man  passed  us 
perched  on  top  of  a  little  donkey,  and  with  a  live  pig  hanging  on 
either  side,  squealing  at  every  step. 

There  are  harracks  in  the  town,  with  a  lot  of  dirty,  unkempt  sol- 
diers who  are  continually  tooting  away  on  their  bugles.  Their  call 
for  taps  is  almost  identical  with  ours. 

There  is  in  the  town  an  electric  light  plant  and  also  an  artificial 
ice  factory. 

In  the  Hotel  Colombia  I  saw  a  large  scarlet,  blue,  and  green 
macaw  and  a  toucan  with  a  serrate  beak  {Pterorjlossiis  sp.).  This 
bird  assumed  a  most  curious  position  when  asleep,  turning  its  tail 
up  over  its  back  and  head  instead  of  allowing  it  to  hang  as  other 


BABBANQUILLA.  41 

birds  do.  In  many  of  the  houses  along*  the  streets  we  saw  parrots, 
parrakeets,  and  troupials.  Black  vultures  are  abundant.  They  sit 
in  groups  in  the  cocoa  palms,  on  the  roofs  and  fences,  and  are  con- 
tinually flying"  down  into  the  yards  and  streets  to  pick  up  refuse. 

It  was  cloudy  all  day,  and  there  were  several  showers.  It  was 
also  hot,  especially  in  the  early  part  of  the  night. 

Tuesday,  June  21,  1892.  We  were  awakened  before  daylight 
by  the  sound  of  music.  It  was  the  military  band  practicing,  and 
although  they  selected  such  an  unusual  hour  for  their  practice,  I 
must  admit  that  the  music  was  excellent.  Just  about  daybreak 
flocks  of  parrakeets  began  to  fly  over  the  town  in  a  steady  stream, 
and  their  incessant  screeching  put  sleep  out  of  the  question. 

We  were  up  early,  and  after  taking  some  coffee  and  bread,  Cabell 
and  I  Avent  down  to  the  custom-house  to  o^et  our  trunks.  Travelers' 
baggage  up  to  two  hundred  pounds  (as  well  as  I  remember)  is 
admitted  free  of  duty ;  anything  beyond  this  must  be  paid  for  at  an 
exorbitant  rate.  After  waiting  around  for  two  hours,  we  got  our 
trunks,  and  had  them  sent  up  to  the  Pension  Ingles,  then  went  back 
to  the  Victoria,  got  together  our  things,  and  moved  over.  We  had 
a  good  breakfast  about  half  i3ast  eleven,  and  a  little  after  two 
o'clock  we  took  a  carriage,  and,  Alice  taking  a  book,  and  Cabell 
and  myself  our  guns,  we  drove  out  a  couple  of  miles  into  the  coun- 
try to  have  our  first  experience  with  South  American  birds. 

We  drove  along  a  heavy,  sandy  road,  with  tracts  of  scrubby 
growth  on  either  side,  and  here  and  there  fields  of  a  tall,  thick,  reedy 
grass.  We  saw  no  evidences  of  any  crops.  When  we  had  gone 
out  far  enough,  we  turned  out  of  the  road,  and  left  the  carriage 
near  an  abandoned  hut  in  an  open  field.  We  hunted  around  within 
a  few  hundred  yards  for  about  two  hours,  and  saw  great  quantities 
of  birds.  I  shot  first,  and  killed  a  hawk  that  was  perched  in  the 
top  of  a  thick  tree  near  the  roadside.  It  saw  me  approaching,  but 
was  not  shy,  so  I  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  within  range.  Before 
I  shot  at  it,  it  uttered  several  times  a  shrill  cry,  and  whilst  doing  so 
held  back  its  head  until  its  beak  pointed  vertically.     It  was  about 


42 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE    TBOFICS. 


the  size  of  our  Cooper's  liawk,  its  beak  longer  and  not  so  hooked, 
its  feet  and  claws  weaker.  Its  beak  was  light  bluish,  cere  yellow, 
head  and  neck  dirty  Avhite,  a  dark  brown  streak  behind  the  eye,  tail 
dusky  with  numerous  narrow  white  bars,  these  bars  becoming  con- 
fluent at  the  rump,  body  and  wings  brown,  below  white  with  a  buft'y 
wash  (Milvago  ckimachima). 

Cabell  then  shot  a  curious  kingfisher-like  bird  about  the  size  of 
our  catbird,  but  with  a  large  head  and  heavy  beak,  which  Avas 
slightly  hooked  at  the  tip,  the  hook  being  forked.  Around  the 
base  of  its  beak  were  stiff  bristles  pointing  forwards.     Its  toes  were 


OJKOOVED-BILL    ANI    (OROTOPHAGA    SULOIROSTRI'-). 


BARRANQUILLA.  43 

two  in  front,  two  behind ;  its  tail-feathers  narrow  and  weak.  Its 
head  and  npper  parts  were  dusky,  with  buff  edgings  to  the  feathers ; 
there  was  a  dark  brown  ring  across  the  breast,  with  a  whitish  band 
below  ;  the  throat  was  buff,  with  a  rusty  blotch  in  the  centre.  Be- 
neath it  was  bufpy,  the  flanks  spotted  with  brown.  There  was  a 
white  streak  below  the  eye,  and  a  white  band  at  the  back  of  the 
neck.     This  was  a  rufous-throated  puff-bird  {Bucco  riijicollis). 

I  then  shot  a  crotophaga,  probably  smaller  than  our  crow-black- 
bird, but  with  a  much  longer  tail,  a  curious  high-arched  bill ;  toes, 
two  in  front  and  two  behind  ;  hackle-like  feathers  on  its  neck,  and 
of  a  uniform  glossy  blue-black  [Crotophfuja  sidcirostrls  ?).  A  lit- 
tle farther  on  Cabell  shot  a  handsome  flycatcher,  much  like  our 
great-crested,  but  larger,  with  a  broad  and  large  beak.  Below  it 
was  sulphur-yellow ;  above,  rufous ;  its  crown  blackish,  with  a  con- 
cealed light  yellow  patch,  a  white  streak  from  its  nostrils  back 
over  the  eye  and  entirely  around  the  head.  This  was  probably  the 
pitangua  flycatcher  {^lerjarJu/ucJms  ^ntangua).  I  saw  several  flocks 
of  parrakeets,  —  one  of  which  lit  near  us,  —  and  I  started  to  creep 
up  on  them ;  but  they  took  alarm,  and  flew  before  I  was  within 
range.  They  circled,  and  came  back  near  Cabell ;  and  he  managed 
to  get  one.  It  was  about  the  size  of  a  robin,  but  with  a  long, 
pointed  tail.  Its  beak  and  feet  were  light  brown  ;  its  eyes,  brownish 
yellow.  Its  general  coloration  above  was  grass-green,  with  a  trace 
of  blue  in  the  primaries  and  secondaries ;  below,  it  was  greenish 
yelloAV  ;  its  upper  breast,  throat,  and  face  were  light  greenish  brown  ; 
its  forehead  of  a  bluish  gray  {Conurus  ceritginosus). 

I  killed  an  oriole  about  the  size  of  our  Baltimore  oriole ;  its  beak, 
wings,  tail,  and  spot  at  the  base  of  beak  and  under  chin  black ;  the 
rest  of  its  plumage  a  clear  yellow  [Icteyms  xantJiornus) ;  a  small, 
thick-beaked  finch  of  a  uniform  glistening  blue-black  (  Volatmia 
splendens) ;  a  ground  dove  like  those  that  we  killed  in  Curagao 
{Colimihigallina  p)(is^€rina)',  and  a  second  one,  somewhat  larger, 
and  of  a  rufous  color  (C.  riijipennis).  Around  a  calabash-tree  we 
saw  a  couple  of  humming-birds,  and  Cabell  managed  to  shoot  one. 


44  A   FLYING   TBIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 

It  was  glittering  green,  almost  exactly  like  those  that  we  got  in 
Curagao,  but  its  tail  was  forked  [Cldorostilhon  angust'qjennls). 

We  saw  a  number  of  partridges,  and  tried  to  get  some,  but 
failed.  They  were  just  about  the  size  of  our  Virginia  partridge ; 
and,  to  my  surprise,  I  several  times  heard  them  call  "  bob-white." 

All  of  the  birds  that  we  killed  were  in  poor  plumage ;  they  were 
evidently  just  beginning  to  moult. 

We  saw  some  brilliantly  colored  butterflies  of  various  species. 

I  was  surprised  at  the  number  of  trees  and  bushes  bearing  thorns, 
—  nearly  all  having  thorns  of  different  sizes.  One  tree,  of  large 
size  and  smooth,  light  green  bark,  had  scattered  over  the  trunk 
teat-like  excrescences  an  inch  or  more  in  height  and  sharp-pointed, 
which  would  entirely  prevent  any  one  from  climbing  the  tree. 
Some  of  the  palms  had  very  hard  needle-like  thorns,  which  would 
pierce  the  sole  of  a  shoe ;  others  had  rows  of  short  hooks  arranged 
like  the  teeth  of  a  saw. 

As  it  was  getting  towards  sundown,  we  turned  back,  and  reached 
the  hotel  in  time  for  supper. 

In  the  evening  the  American  consul,  Mr.  Neckius,  and  his  assist- 
ant, Mr.  Candor,  called  upon  us.  It  was  hot,  and  there  were  one 
or  two  light  showers. 

Wednesday,  June  22,  1892.  Cabell  and  I  went  out  early  to  see 
about  engaging  passage  and  staterooms  on  the  steamer  Enrique, 
which  was  to  start  up  the  Magdalena  on  the  following  day  for  the 
head  of  navigation,  Yeguas.  After  attending  to  this,  we  tried  to 
get  a  trunk,  so  as  to  relieve  the  crowded  condition  of  ours  ;  but  we 
could  not  find  a  suitable  one,  so  finally  bought  a  "  pataca,"  a  sort 
of  bale  covering,  made  of  raw  hide,  the  hair  side  out,  which  is  used 
throughout  the  country  as  a  case  for  transporting  tobacco  on  mule- 
back.     It  is  closed  by  being  laced  up  with  a  raw-hide  thong. 

When  we  returned  to  the  hotel,  we  repacked  our  things,  leaving 
one  trunk  clear  for  skins. 

After  breakfast,  Ave  took  our  guns  and  started  off  on  foot.  We 
walked  down  the  railroad  several  miles,  and,  takinj]^  it  easy,  came 


BA  ERANQ  UILLA .  45 

back  at  live  o'clock.  While  walking  along  the  track  about  a  mile 
north  of  the  town,  we  saw  an  alligator  some  four  feet  in  length, 
which  had  been  run  over  and  killed  by  the  train.  About  two  miles 
down,  we  left  the  track,  and  turned  into  some  scrubby,  thorny 
woods  to  our  left.  Here  Cabell  shot  a  parrakeet  of  the  same  kind 
as  the  one  that  he  had  killed  the  day  before,  and  a  large  pigeon, 
larger  than  our  dove,  but  of  the  same  uniform  color  throughout. 
The  tips  of  its  tail-feathers  were  whitish ;  but  beyond  this  it  had 
no  distinctive  markings.  I  did  not  skin  this  bird,  as  it  was  in  poor 
plumage ;  and  I  did  not  get  another  specimen,  so  cannot  identify  it. 
From  here,  we  turned  back  to  the  right,  recrossed  the  track,  and 
went  over  to  the  river,  Avliere  we  found  a  great  abundance  of  water- 
birds,  the  white- winged  jaganas,  purple  gallinules  {lonornls  mar- 
thilca),  herons,  ducks,  etc.  There  was  a  skirt  of  small  trees  along 
the  river,  with  here  and  there  clumj^s  of  mangroves.  Beyond  the 
trees  were  reedy  marshes  extending  out  for  perhaps  half  a  mile.  I 
had  just  reached  the  bank,  and  was  walking  along  slowly,  when  a 
horrible-looking  creature  sprang  up  from  under  my  feet  and  rushed 
off  at  a  tremendous  rate,  stopping  to  look  back  at  me  when  it  had 
gone  about  thirty  yards.  I  fired,  and  killed  it.  It  was  a  lizard, 
over  two  feet  in  length,  with  very  long  and  wide-spreading  toes. 
It  was  brown,  with  darker  markings  on  its  sides,  a  conspicuous  fin- 
like crest  along  its  back  and  tail,  and  a  light  gray  liberty-cap-look- 
ing growth  at  the  back  of  its  head.  This  was  the  basilisk  {BasUls- 
cus  cmierlcanns).  Later  we  saw  quantities  of  them.  They  run 
with  extraordinary  rapidity,  and  stand  higher  from  the  ground 
when  running  than  any  lizard  that  I  have  seen.  So  rapid  is  the 
motion  of  their  feet  that  they  can  actually  run  over  the  surface  of 
water.  This  I  saw  repeatedly.  I  know  of  no  other  animal  that 
can  do  this,  except  that  I  have  seen  frogs  keep  on  the  surface  for  a 
succession  of  rapid  jumps ;  but  frogs  are  web-footed,  and  these 
lizards  are  not.  I  saw  several  cross  pools  ten  feet  in  width  and 
keep  on  the  surface  for  the  whole  distance.  They  also  climb  well. 
We  saw  them  in  the  mano^roves  on  branches  overhanoino-  the  water. 


46 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 


As  we  passed  under  a  low  tree,  one,  frightened  by  us,  sprang  out 
on  Cabell's  back,  and  thence  to  the  ground,  giving  him  quite  a 
start.  We  also  saw  numbers  of  other  lizards,  some  striped  green, 
blue,  and  yellow ;  other  small  ones,  gray,  with  dark  red  heads. 

Wading  along  the  water's  edge,  we  shot  a  pair  of  ibises,  larger 
than  our  white  ibis,  but  of  the  same  general  shape.     They  were  of 


BASILISCUS   AMERICANUS. 


a  dark  glossy  green,  their  legs,  beaks,  eyes,  bare  skin  of  face  and 
gular  space  red  (Phimoses  infiiscatus).  We  got  several  shots  at 
flocks  of  parrakeets,  and  killed  five  or  six,  all  of  the  same  kind. 
They  had  been  feeding  on  mangoes,  and  it  was  a  difficult  matter 
to  prevent  the  soft  yellow  pulp  that  oozed  from  their  beaks  from 
soding  their  feathers.  We  also  shot  some  blackbirds  of  the  same 
general  shape  as  our  red-winged  ones,  but  smaller  and  with  yellow 


BAREANQUJLLA. 


47 


TTJRKEY-BUZZAKU    (CATHARTES    AURA). 
(From  "Riverside  Natural  History,"  by  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.) 

heads  {Xanthosomus  icterocephahi.^).  I  shot  a  small  finch  with  a 
chestnut  breast  and  a  light  gray  back,  but  its  plumage  was  in  such 
a  soiled  condition  that  I  did  not  preserve  it  {Sporophila  sjh?). 
Flying  about  over  the  marsh  we  saw  numbers  of  hawks,  but  we  did 
not  shoot  any,  as  they  would  all  have  fallen  into  the  water  beyond 
our  reach.  They  were  large,  dark  brown  with  a  conspicuous  white 
rump,  forked  tail,  and  beak  with  a  long  hook  {Rosthrcmms  socia- 
h'dis).  They  quartered  about  like  our  marsh-hawk,  close  to  the 
surface  of  the  reeds.     Amono-  the  rushes  I  saw  some  little  birds 


48  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 

conspicuously  marked  with  black  and  white  [Fluvlcola  jyicxi).  Their 
motions  seemed  to  be  just  like  those  of  our  hooded  flycatcher. 
They,  too,  kept  out  over  the  water,  where  Ave  could  not  go,  so  we 
got  no  specimens.  Cabell  shot  a  hawk  like  the  one  that  I  had  killed 
the  day  before,  and  I  shot  a  second  one  very  similar  to  the  first, 
but  with  a  brown  head.  It  w^as  probably  a  young  one.  "  As  wild 
as  a  hawk  "  is  an  expression  of  no  meaning  in  Colombia ;  they  are 
not  at  all  shy,  and  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  approach  wdthin  range. 

We  saw  a  few  hunnning-birds,  but  got  no  shots  at  them.  I  also 
saw  some  turkey-buzzards  (  Cathartes  aura),  but  they  were  scarce  in 
comparison  with  the  black  vultures. 

Birds  were  building  at  this  season,  and  all  were  in  bad  plumage, 
so  they  were  probably  preparing  for  second  broods.  We  saw  ibises 
carrying  sticks  for  their  nests.  On  our  way  back  we  stopped  at  a 
little  hut  in  a  grove  of  cocoa  palms,  and  I  induced  a  small  boy  to 
climb  one  of  the  trees  and  get  us  some  of  the  green  nuts  to  quench 
our  thirst  with  their  milk.  After  throwing  down  some  of  them, 
he  pulled  out  a  nest  from  among  the  thick  leaf-stems  and  threw  it 
down  to  us.  It  contained  two  small  spotted  eggs  nearly  hatched, 
wdiich  were  broken  by  the  fall.  The  birds  flew  around  uttering 
jjlaintive  cries.  They  w^ere  the  size  of  our  scarlet  tanager,  and  of 
a  light  bluish  gray,  darker  on  the  wings  and  tail  (Tanagra  cana). 
The  Indians  called  them  "  azulejo,"  which  translates  "  bluebird " 
pretty  closely. 

After  supper  we  skinned  some  of  our  birds,  having  a  good  deal 
of  trouble  with  the  parrakeets.  It  is  difficult  to  get  the  skin  of  the 
neck  to  pass  the  head.  It  was  hot  all  day,  with  a  heavy  rainstorm 
in  the  mornino*. 

In  the  courtyard  of  our  hotel  there  were  several  cages  of  parra- 
keets and  troupials.  One  of  the  latter  Avas  a  splendid  songster,  and 
imitated  to  perfection  some  of  the  bugle-calls.  Whenever  any  one 
irritated  it,  it  puffed  out  its  throat  until  the  hackle-like  feathers 
stood  out  almost  on  end,  and  at  the  same  time  the  pupils  of  its  eyes 
contracted  until  they  w^ere  mere  points. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    MAGDALENA    RIVER. 

Thursday,  June  23,  1892.  We  were  busy  packing-  in  the  early 
morning,  as  our  boat  was  to  leave  at  eleven,  and  at  the  last  moment 
we  were  so  hurried  that  we  did  not  have  time  for  breakfast,  but 
snatched  a  few  hasty  mouthfuls  and  left.  When  we  reached  the 
Enrique,  we  regretted  not  having  taken  more  time  for  our  break- 
fast, for  it  was  three  o'clock  when  we  finally  moved  off.  Tt  was 
very  provoking-  to  have  to  sit  around  and  wait,  but  we  could  not 
help  it,  nor  did  any  one  seem  to  know  for  what  we  were  waiting. 
Just  as  we  were  moving-  off  we  heard  a  great  outcry,  and,  looking 
back,  saw  a  passenger  calling  for  us  to  come  back  for  him ;  so  we 
ran  in  to  the  shore,  and  he  came  aboard.  Just  imagine,  in  the 
United  States,  any  one  going  at  three  o'clock  to  catch  a  steamer 
advertised  to  sail  at  eleven  ! 

Whilst  waiting  at  the  wharf  I  noticed  on  shore  great  piles  of 
what  I  thought  were  potatoes,  but  upon  examination  I  found  them 
to  be  vegetable-ivory  nuts. 

A  great  many  kites,  like  those  that  we  had  seen  the  day  before, 
flcAV  about  the  steamer,  and  I  saw  them  from  time  to  time  dip  down 
gracefully  and  pick  up  some  floating  object  from  the  water. 

Tlie  Enrique,  of  which  we  give  an  illustration,  w\as  built  by  a 
Pittsburgh  firm,  and,  like  the  Ohio  River  steamers,  is  a  stern- 
wheeler,  burning  wood,  of  two  to  three  feet  draught,  but  high  above 
water.  On  the  lower  deck  forward  are  the  boilers  with  wood  stacked 
on  either  side  ;  then  comes  the  space  for  crew,  freight,  and  live  cattle 
for  beef  on  the  trip  ;  then  the  engines.    Forward,  on  the  deck  above, 


50  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

is  piled  the  passengers'  baggage,  and  this  is  where  we  spent  the 
greater  portion  of  our  time  when  not  driven  in  by  the  heat.  Next 
come  the  staterooms,  eight  in  number ;  then  an  open  space,  where 
we  dined  ;  and  in  rear  the  pantry  and  bathroom.  Still  higher  is 
the  pilot-house.  The  staterooms  are  small,  perfectly  plain,  with  a 
single  canvas  cot  in  each.  No  bedding  is  supplied  by  the  boat,  so 
a  part  of  every  passenger's  baggage  is  a  roll  of  matting,  a  pillow, 
and  a  mosquito  net.  The  fare  is  sixty  dollars  in  paper  to  Yeguas, 
staterooms  ten  dollars  extra.  The  river  steamers  are  compelled  by 
law  to  carry  a  doctor.  Ours  was  a  native,  and  the  captain  was  from 
Curagao. 

Our  boat  was  in  a  side  channel  of  the  Magdalena,  and  had  to  go 
down  about  a  mile  before  entering  the  main  stream.  This  side 
channel  was  evidently  the  laundry  for  the  town.  The  washerwomen 
waded  out  from  its  shores  up  to  their  waists,  and  pounded  their 
soiled  clothes  on  half-submerged  drift  logs  which  were  scattered 
along.  When  we  entered  the  main  stream,  we  turned  short  about 
and  headed  due  south.  We  went  along  slowly ;  the  river  was  very 
high,  muddy,  and  swift ;  and,  besides,  we  had  lashed  to  our  side 
a  large  lighter,  or  "  bongo,"  filled  with  extra  freight  that  we  had 
to  take  up  the  river  with  us.  The  country  was  inundated  in  all 
directions,  and  no  high  land  was  in  sight.  We  saw  thousands  of 
water-birds  of  many  kinds  :  white  herons  and  egrets ;  large  gray  and 
black  herons  {Ardea  cocoi),  somewhat  like  our  blue  heron  ;  a  species 
of  large  tern,  its  body  and  tail  appearing  whitish,  and  its  primaries, 
in  strong  contrast,  black  [Phaethusa  magnirostris).  This  tern  we 
found  abundant  for  four  hundred  miles  up  the  river.  The  river 
was  so  high  that  no  sand-bars  were  exposed,  else  we  would  have 
seen  numbers  of  alligators  ;  however,  before  dark  we  saw  a  few  large 
ones  on  some  logs.  The  native  name  is  ''  cayman."  I  was  told 
that  there  were  several  species.  Shooting  at  them  from  the  steamers 
was  prohibited  by  law  some  years  ago,  owing  to  careless  shooting 
by  which  a  native  woman  on  shore  was  killed  ;  but  our  captain 
gave  us  permission  to  shoot  when  we  got  farther  up  the  river. 


i^9 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE    TEOFICS. 


There  is  a  good  deal  of  ceremony  at  meal-times  ;  no  one  takes 
a  seat  before  the  captain,  and  no  one  rises  until  he  gives  the  signal. 
Should  any  one  wish  to  rise  before,  he  says,  speaking  to  those 
present,  "  con  su  permiso,"  by  your  leave.  The  meals  are  served 
hurriedly  by  barefooted  Indian  boys,  and  were  not  so  bad  as  we 
had  been  led  to  expect.     There  are  but  two  meals  a  day,  though 


LAUNDRY    AT    BARRANQUILLA. 


coffee  is  served  soon  after  daybreak.  The  bill  of  fare  is  about 
the  same  for  every  meal,  soup,  beef  and  vegetables,  "  dulce "  or 
sweets,  which  usually  consists  of  some  fruit  such  as  green  figs 
or  "  guayaba  "  skins,  etc.,  boiled  in  syrup  and  served  with  coffee  or 
chocolate  and  cheese.  There  was  neither  fresh  butter  nor  milk. 
In  every  possible  dish  garlic  is  used  and  the  majority  of  the  dishes 
are  colored  yellow  with  arnatto.     The  vegetables  are  rice,  potatoes. 


THE  MAGDALENA   RIVER 

T 


yucca,  plantains  (boiled  and 
fried),  and  "  names,"  or  yams 
as  we  would  call  them,  though 
they  are  entirely  different  from 
the  sweet  potato  to  which  we  give 
that  name.  The  meat  is  always 
in  slices  and  is  fried  or  stewed. 
Roasts,  joints,  etc.,  are  unknown. 
The  climate  would  not  allow  a 
roast  to  be  kept  for  even  a  few 
hours.  I  witnessed  one  morning 
the  preparation  of  the  meat  for 
the  day.  The  cow  was  quickly 
killed  and  skinned,  then  the  flesh 
was  literally  taken  off  in  ribbons 
until  nothinof  but  the  bones  were 
left.  These  ribbons  were  wound 
around  slender  rods,  taken  to  the 
upper  deck,  and  exposed  in  the 
sun.  In  a  few  hours  they  became 
like  pieces  of  sole  leather.  This 
is  called  "  tasajo  "  or  jerked  beef. 
Before  being  cooked  it  is  soaked 
and  beaten  to  soften  it.  The  in- 
testines, head,  and  bones  of  the 
cow  were  turned  over  to  the  crew 
of  the  bongo,  who  ate  all  with 
relish,  including  the  poor  animal's 
unborn  calf. 

Artificial  ice  is  carried  on  the 
up  trip,  but  gives  out  about  the 
fourth  day.  Filtered  river  water 
is  used  for  drinking,  and  is  fairly 
good.  The  pilots  are  Indians, 
usually  old  men,  and  are  treated 


BOGOTA 


THE    MAODALENA  VALLEY    TO    HONOA. 


54 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


with  great  respect  by  the  rest  of  the  crew.  There  are  no  charts, 
Hghthouses,  or  buoys,  and  the  water  to  the  inexperienced  eye  looks 
the  same  in  all  parts  of  the  river,  yet  the  channel  is  continually 
changing  and  the  pilots  can  tell  at  a  glance  when  to  cross  from  one 

side  to  the  other, 
and  when  to  keep 
in  the  centre.  The 
boat  stops  three  or 
four  times  a  day  to 
take  on  wood,  which 
is  piled  up  along 
the  shore  at  conven- 
ient places  and  sold 
to  the  steamers  by 
the  owners.  There 
are  no  wharves  at 
any  place  along  the 
river.  The  boat 
simply  runs  up  to 
the  shore,  makes 
fast  to  a  convenient 
tree,  and  puts  out  a 
gang-plank.  The 
wood  used  for  fuel 
must  be  dry.  It  is 
cut  into  leno'ths  of 
two  feet,  stacked  in 
regular  piles  divided  by  upright  stakes  into  small  units  called 
"  burros,"  which  I  suppose  means  a  donkey-load.  The  price  paid 
is  about  fifty  cents  paper  per  burro.  The  wood  is  loaded  by  the 
crew,  Avho  bring  it  on  board  on  their  shoulders,  using  a  rope  fas- 
tened around  one  wrist  and  held  in  the  other  hand  to  increase  the 
amount  that  they  can  embrace.  They  also  usually  wear  a  piece  of 
bagging  over  their  head  and  shoulder  as  a  protection  against  scor- 


CnCOA    PALMS    ALONG    THE    MAGDALENA. 


THE  MAGDALENA   EIVEIi. 


55 


pious  and  insects  tliat  might  be  in  the  wood.     This  loading  was  a 
tedious  process. 

We  also  stopped  a  few  times  each  day  at  little  mnd  and  thatch 
villages  to  take  on  or  put  off  freight.  The  stops  are  of  intermin- 
able length  ;  no  one  seems  in  any  hurry  ;  after  the  freight  is  off 
or  on  they  must  have  an  hour's  chat  before  starting,  and  when  the 
signal   sounds  to  start,  the  crew  and  passengers   have  gone  off  to 


%J  .^ 


STOP   AT    BANCO. 


make  purchases  or  to  trade,  and  must  be  waited  for,  so  we  really 
spend  as  much  time  in  waiting  as  in  traveling.  We  ran  all  night; 
but  higher  np  the  river,  on  account  of  snags  and  sand-bars,  we  had 
to  tie  up  at  night.  It  was  fearfully  hot,  especially  in  the  early  part 
of  the  night,  when  it  was  almost  unbearable  in  the  little  staterooms. 


56  A    FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE   TROPICS. 

The  majority  of  the  passengers  moved  their  cots  out  and  slept  on 
deck  under  heavy  mosquito  nets.  Among  the  passengers  we  Avere 
pleased  to  find  Mr.  Lindauer  and  his  cousin,  on  their  way  to  Bogota. 

Friday,  June  24,  1892.  We  were  up  by  daybreak,  and  after 
having  a  cup  of  coffee  went  out  on  deck.  At  this  hour  the  air  felt 
cool  and  fresh,  and  it  Avas  by  far  the  pleasantest  portion  of  the 
day.  The  country  through  Avhich  we  Avere  passing  Avas  much  the 
same  as  that  of  the  preceding  day ;  there  Avere  fewer  cocoa  palms 
and  more  mangoes  and  plantains  along  the  shores.  Magnificent 
unbroken  forests  stretched  in  all  directions  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  From  time  to  time  Ave  passed  little  mud  huts,  thatched  here 
Avith  palms  instead  of  rushes. 

The  quantities  of  herons  and  other  AvaterfoAvl  that  Ave  saAv  Avere 
incredible,  the  most  abundant  being  the  little  snowy  heron,  Avhich 
fairly  swarms  along  certain  portions  of  the  river.  Whilst  in  Bar- 
ranquilla,  I  saw  in  one  of  the  papers  an  advertisement  of  a  New 
York  dealer  avIio  offered  to  buy  for  cash  the  plumes  of  the  snowy 
heron  and  of  the  white  egret.  It  was  accompanied  by  tAvo  wretched 
cuts  of  the  birds  with  description  of  the  manner  of  plucking  and 
shipping  the  plumes.  For  those  of  the  snowy  heron  he  offered  from 
$425  to  $525  paper  per  pound,  for  those  of  the  egret  from  $75  to 
$110  paper  per  pound.  I  Avas  told  that  he  had  obtained  somewhere 
near  $10,000  Avortli  of  these  plumes.  As  the  snoAvy  heron  hardly 
ever  has  a  dozen  good  plumes,  and  often  only  five  or  six,  and  as 
they  have  hardly  any  Aveight  at  all,  one  can  easily  imagine  the  num- 
bers of  birds  that  must  have  been  sacrificed  to  the  Avhim  of  fashion. 

As  Ave  passed  a  marshy  spot,  we  saw  near  the  water's  edge  a  herd 
of  about  a  dozen  reddish  broAvn  animals  about  the  size  of  an  aver- 
age pig.  They  Avere  capybaras  {ffi/drochoerus  ccqjyhara),  the  lar- 
gest of  the  rodent  family.     They  paid  no  attention  to  our  boat. 

A  little  farther  on,  Ave  saAv  Avalking  about  on  a  grassy  spot  a 
couple  of  large  birds,  looking  much  like  our  turkey,  but  having 
their  heads  covered  Avith  Avhite  feathers  [Chmma  derhicma). 

Later  in  the  day  we  saw  a  good  many  macaws,  some  green,  blue. 


THE  MAGDALEN  A   RIVER. 


57 


and  scarlet  {Ava  aracrauja),  others  blue  above  and  yellow  beneath 
[A.  ararauua).  This  latter  kind  was  the  more  abundant.  They 
fly  heavily,  like  our  crows,  and  usually  by  twos.  Their  long-  tails  are 
very  conspicuous.  Their  harsh,  discordant  cries  can  be  heard  as  far 
as  they  can  be  seen,  and  were  usually  the  first  noises  that  we  heard 
in  the  early  mornings.  We  saw  quantities  of  wild  ducks  of  several 
kinds.  Very  often,  when  the  flocks  were  near  the  forest,  they  flew 
up  into  the  trees  when  first  alarmed.  The  largest  kind,  black  with 
white  wing-spots,  is  called  by  the  natives  "  pato  real,"  royal  duck. 


CAPYBAKA    (hYDKOCHU':RUS    CAPYBAKA). 

(From  "Kivcrside  Natural  History,"  by  permission  of  Iloughton,  Mifflin  &  Co.) 


and  is  our  muscovy  (Cairina  moschata).  Another  species,  with 
brown  bodies  and  red  beaks,  stood  in  rows  like  soldiers  along  the 
sand-bars  {Beudrocj/fjna  sjj.).  I  saAv  three  kinds  of  kingfishers,  all 
in  general  appearance  similar  to  our  belted  kingfisher.  The  largest, 
which  was  larger  than  ours,  was  chestnut-red  on  the  entire  under 


58  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

surface,  iiicliuling  that  of  the  wmgs  {Ceryle  torqiiata);  the  next  in 
size  was  marked  like  ours,  but  was  glossy  green  instead  of  blue 
(C.  amazona) ;  the  third  was  a  miniature  of  the  second,  about  the 
size  of  a  large  sparrow  (C.  mnerlcana).  We  saw  all  three  kinds 
enter  and  come  out  from  holes  in  the  river-banks.  The  first  two 
were  very  abundant,  the  third  scarcer.  We  saAv  quantities  of  hawks 
and  large  flocks  of  parrakeets,  and  I  saw  a  single  water-turkey  or 
snake-bird  {Anhhuja  anlihuja)  flying  high  in  the  air.  When  the 
crew  were  taking  on  wood  at  one  place,  they  killed  a  couple  of 
slender  snakes  which  were  among  the  lower  courses,  but  they  were 
thrown  into  the  w^ater  before  I  could  examine  them. 

In  the  afternoon,  whilst  we  were  stopping  at  a  small  village,  a 
native  came  up  with  a  lot  of  fish  in  a  dug-out  canoe.  They  were 
of  two  kinds :  the  first,  a  scale  fish  somewhat  like  a  perch  and  of 
about  one  pound  in  weight,  he  called  "  boca  chica,"  little  mouth ; 
the  other,  a  slender  catfish,  a  "  bagre,"  had  the  same  smooth  skin, 
fleshy  dorsal  fin  and  beards  that  ours  has,  but  its  head  Avas  pro- 
longed into  a  shovel  shape  almost  like  a  duck's  bill  {Platy- 
stoma  s/;.). 

It  was  cloudy  at  times  and  hot,  with  a  heavy  storm  at  night. 

Saturday,  June  25,  1892.  When  I  went  out  on  deck  this  morn- 
ing, I  found  that  we  were  unloading  freight  at  the  town  of  Ma- 
gangue.  This  is  quite  a  busy  little  place,  known  for  its  annual 
fairs.  It  lies  in  a  strip  along  the  river-bank  with  no  high  land 
near.  At  this  time  many  of  the  cross  streets  were  flooded  for  a 
portion  of  their  length,  and  our  boat  lay  alongside  the  sidewalk. 
In  a  native  canoe  here  I  saw  a  skin  very  much  like  that  of  our  otter. 
The  owner  called  it  a  "  niitria,"  which  is  the  Spanish  for  otter. 

A  short  distance  below  Magangue  the  Magdalena  separates  into 
two  portions,  inclosing  a  long  island.  Magangue  is  on  the  western 
channel  some  leagues  below  the  mouth  of  the  Cauca.  On  the  east- 
ern channel  is  the  town  of  Mompos,  which  was  formerly  of  more 
importance,  but  now,  being  inaccessible  by  steamers  during  the  sea- 
son of  low  water,  it  has  lost  a  good  deal.     Upon  leaving  Magangue, 


THE  MAGDALENA   RIVER. 


59 


MAGANGCE    FROM    THE    BIVER. 


we  returned  to  the  forks  of  the  river,  where  we  picked  up  our  bongo, 
which  had  been  left  there  during  the  night,  and  then  headed  for 
Mompos. 

About  ten  o'clock  we  stopped  for  an  hour  for  wood,  and  Cabell 
and  I  took  advantage  of  this  to  go  ashore  with  a  gun.  Within  fifty 
yards  of  the  boat  we  found  a  small  tree  covered  with  fringy-looking 
flowers,  and  around  these  some  humming-birds  were  feeding.  In  a 
few  minutes  we  killed  six,  two  of  one  kind  and  four  of  another. 
The  first  were  of  moderate  size,  bills  broad  at  the  base,  reddish  with 
dark  tips.  They  were  green  above,  throats  metallic  green,  under 
parts  ashy,  tail,  including  the  upper  and  under  coverts,  rufous,  the 
retrices  with  narrow  bronze  edgings  {Amazllla  fusiccmdata).  The 
second  kind  were  green  above,  throats  glittering  green,  lower  part 
of  breast  grayish,  a  white  patch  on  the  belly,  under  tail  coverts 


60 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


AMAZILIA    FUSCICAUDATA. 

(From  Elliot.) 


oreen  with  gray  edges,  tail   forked   and  blue-black,  the  two  cen- 
tral feathers  greenish  {Cyanophala  goudoti). 

Near  here,  Cabell  shot 
into  a  flock  of  parrakeets 
in  a  mango-tree,  and  killed 
three.  They  were  different 
from  the  others  that  we  had 
gotten,  being  smaller  and 
of  a  brighter  green,  the 
alula  principally  blue,  un- 
der wing-coverts  light  yel- 
low, upper  coverts  brown- 
ish green,  an  orange  chin-spot,  bill  and  feet  flesh-color  [Broto- 
gerys  jugularis).  There  was  a  peculiar  point  on  the  inner  web  of 
the  third  primary.  These  little  birds  hang  head  downwards  on  the 
mangoes,  and  tear  at  the  soft  yellow  pulp  until  nothing  but  the 
seed  is  left.  When  a  flock  is  in  a  thick  foliaged  tree,  although 
they  may  be  very  noisy,  they  are  sometimes  difficult  to  see,  as  their 
colors  harmonize  closely  with  those  of  the  leaves.  Cabell  also  shot 
an  "azulejo"  (Tanagra  cana),  a  male  in  fair  plumage.  We 
caught  here  some  beautiful  butterflies, 
some  morphos  especially,  large  ones, 
brown  beneath  with  round  eye-like 
spots,  and  above  rich  azure.  Others 
with  swallow-tails  were  striped  metallic 
ofreen  and  black,  and  others  scarlet 
and  black. 

Throughout  my  stay  m  Colombia  I 
had  untold  trouble  in  keeping  butter- 
flies. There  was  a  minute  red  ant  on 
the  boat  which  soon  found  anything  to 
eat,  and  destroyed  it  in  a  few  minutes.  Some  butterflies  that  I  had 
put  in  a  tin  box  the  day  before  were  nothing  but  fragments  when 
I  examined  them.     The  only  sure  way  is  to  put  the  box  on  a  little 


CYANOPHAIA   GOUDOTI. 

(From  Elliot.) 


THE  MAGDALEXA   RIVER.  61 

pedestal  in  a  basin  of  water,  and  to  examine  it  every  few  lionrs  to 
see  that  the  water  has  not  evaporated.  After  breakfast,  we  pre- 
pared onr  birds  as  the  boat  went  along,  shot  at  alligators  from  time 
to  time,  and  tried  fishing  when  the  boat  stopped,  bnt  got  no  bites. 
We  saw  birds  in  great  abnndance,  and,  among  new  ones,  some  large 
green  parrots.  They,  like  macaws,  fly  in  pairs ;  but  their  manner 
of  flight  is  as  different  as  possible.  Tliey  have  a  rapid,  tremulous 
wing-beat,  exactly  like  that  of  our  leather-wing  bat.  Speaking  of 
bats,  there  are  a  great  many  along  the  river,  and  at  nightfall  we 
saw  them  flying  about  close  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  Some  are 
much  larger  than  ours,  Avitli  longer  and  more  pointed  wings. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Mompos,  and  shortly  after  had 
the  chagrin  of  seeing  the  mail-steamer,  which  left  Barranquilla  the 
day  after  we  left,  pass  us  on  her  way  up.  Mompos  is  an  old  town, 
with  some  ruins  of  an  ancient  cathedral.  We  bought  here  from 
Indian  women  who  came  on  board  some  dulces,  guava  jelly,  limes 
preserved  in  syrup,  etc.  An  Indian  offered  to  sell  me  for  fifty 
cents  a  half-fledged  blue  and  yellow  macaw ;  but  whilst  I  was  think- 
ing it  over  the  bird  uttered  one  of  its  horrible  squawks,  wliicli 
decided  me  to  do  without  it.  It  was  apparently  full-sized,  and  had 
a  few  blue  feathers  above,  but  below  was  naked.  I  saw  in  Mompos 
a  leper,  the  first  I  had  seen,  although  I  had  heard  that  there  were 
many  in  the  country.  At  a  number  of  places  along  the  river  we 
saw  a  form  of  skin  disease  which  was  called  "  carate."  In  some 
cases  the  dark  skins  of  the  Indians  were  covered  with  light  spots 
and  blotches ;  in  others  the  spots  were  bluish  black.  The  hands 
were  more  affected  than  other  portions  of  the  body.  There  was 
nothing  malignant  about  this,  simply  a  discoloration  of  the  skin 
similar  to  scars  left  by  scalding,  without  any  contraction. 

We  ran  all  night.  It  was  hot  during  the  day,  and  hotter  at 
night. 

Sunday,  June  2G,  18f)2.  We  woke  this  morning  early,  at  a 
place  called  Banco.  It  is  a  small  village,  with  the  usual  cathedral, 
situated  on  a  hill  or  bluff  of   red  clay.      There  was  a  crowd  of 


62 


A   FLYING    TBIP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 


natives  at  the  landing,  with  sleeping-mats  and  other  articles  for 
sale.  Here  I  purchased  for  forty  cents  a  large  and  prettily  marked 
tiger-cat's  skin.  Later  in  the  day  we  stopped  several  times  for 
wood,  and  at  one  place  we  went  ashore.  We  saw  many  wren- 
like birds,  some  resembHng  our  Carolina  wren,  but  as  large  as  a  cat- 
bird.    Cabell  shot  a  second  "  azulejo."     During  the  day  we  had  a 


CATHKDRAL    AT    BANCO. 


great  many  shots  at  alligators,  but  struck  only  a  few.  Among  new 
birds  I  saw  several  small  flocks  of  roseate  spoonbills  {Ajaja  ajaja), 
and  some  immense  flocks  of  wood  ibises  {Tantrilus  loc^dator).  It 
was  clear  and  hot  during  the  day,  but  cooled  off  a  little  at  night,  so 
that  we  could  go  to  sleep  without  the  jireliminary  Turkish  bath. 
Cabell  saw  to-day.  floating  in  the  river,  a  dead  snake  about  ten  feet 
in  length. 


THE  MAGDALEN  A   RIVER. 


63 


COLOMBIAN    SCREAMER    (CHAHNA    DERBIANA). 


Monday,  June  27,  1892.  Upon  waking-  early  I  found  that  we 
were  unloading  at  a  little  group  of  huts,  and  as  I  heard  a  great 
many  birds,  I  hastily  dressed  and  hurried  ashore  with  my  gun. 
Within  a  few  yards  of  the  boat  I  shot  one  of  the  medium-sized 
kingfishers,  a  male,  marked  like  ours  with  a  chestnut  belt,  but 
glossy  green  above  [Ceryle  cmiazona).     1  saw  here  a  flock  of  little 


64  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 

short-tailed  parrakeets,  as  small  as  sparrows  {P slttacida  conspicil- 
k(ta),  and  some  little  swallows  about  the  size  of  our  bank-swallow, 
with  white  bodies  and  dark  wings  {Tachi/cineta  cdhlventrls  ?).  I 
had  to  hurry  back  to  the  boat  before  I  could  shoot  any  more,  and 
on  our  w^ay  up  the  river  I  skinned  the  kingfisher.  Later  in  the 
day  we  stopped  again,  and  I  w^ent  ashore,  but  found  it  so  intensely 
hot  that  I  soon  came  back.  I  saw  here,  with  some  chickens,  a  pair 
of  the  turkey-like  birds  that  I  had  seen  on  the  24th.  They  had 
red  legs,  with  long  straight  toes  and  claws,  and  spurs  on  the  last 
joint  of  their  wings.  Their  general  plumage  was  black ;  their 
faces  wdiite,  Avith  a  red  ring  around  the  eyes,  and  a  feathery  horn 
on  each  side  of  the  head  [Clumna  derhlana).  In  the  afternoon 
the  boat  stopped  for  wood,  and  we  Avent  ashore  again.  This  time  I 
got  a  fine  pigeon ;  a  male,  as  large  as  our  domestic  pigeon.  It  had 
a  bluish  rump,  forehead,  and  throat,  purjjlish  back  and  wings,  a 
metallic  green  nape,  red  feet,  eyes,  and  lids  (Columha  rufina).  I 
saw  during  the  day  several  caracara  eagles  {Polyhorus  cherhDay), 
and  with  my  glass  I  could  plainly  see  the  brilliantly  colored  skin  of 
their  faces.  All  day  long  we  saw  enormous  flocks  of  ducks,  wood 
ibises,  and  parrakeets,  and  quantities  of  white  herons,  white  egrets, 
cocoi  herons,  blue  and  yellow  macaw^s,  jiarrots,  haw^ks,  kingfishers, 
and  a  few  fish-hawks  (Pandion  halicetus  carolhiensis).  We  fired 
many  times  at  alligators,  and  saw  some  very  large  ones.  We  tied 
up  to  the  shore  at  night,  as  the  river  had  become  too  full  of  snags 
and  bars  to  navigate  except  by  daylight.  We  struck  sand-bars 
twice  in  the  afternoon,  but  fortunately  got  off  easily.  For  the  last 
two  days  Ave  have  had  lovely  vicAvs  of  blue  mountains.  To-day 
they  Avere  to  the  west  of  us.  It  AA^as  clear  and  very  hot  during  the 
day  ;  but  we  had  a  shower  at  bedtime. 

Tuesday,  June  28,  1892.  We  Avere  up  early,  and  at  the  first 
stop  for  Avood  Avent  ashore  Avitli  our  guns.  We  found  the  land  to 
be  only  a  few  inches  above  the  level  of  the  river,  of  a  soft  black 
mud,  and  near  the  Avater  covered  with  a  heavy  groAvth  of  large 
canna-like  plants,  Avith  red  and  yelloAV  floAvers.     Around  these  were 


THE  MAGDALENA   RIVER, 


65 


<o^;\ 


feeding  some  humming-birds,  and  Cabell  shot  a  pair.  They  were 
larger  than  any  that  we  had  met  before,  and  had  long  carved  bills, 
the  lower  mandible  yellow,  the  upper  dark  with  a  yellow  streak  on 
each  side.  Above  they  were  metallic  green,  the  upper  tail-coverts 
with  lioht  buff  edoinos,  the  throat 
rufous,  under  parts  buffy,  central 
tail  -  feathers  green  with  whitish 
tips,  the  others  rufous  with  whit- 
ish tips  and  a  blackish  subtermi- 
nal  bar.  There  was  a  lioht  buff 
streak  from  the  gape  and  another 
from  behind  the  ej&{Glaucis  hir- 
sifta).  One  of  these,  a  female, 
had  a  number  of  Avhite  feathers 
scattered    among   the   green  ones 


GLAUCIS    HIRSUTA. 


(Fiom  Elliot.) 


of  the  back.     I  shot  here  one  of 

the  rufous-tailed  humming-birds  {Ama'dJla  fnscicmidatri).  From 
this  place  we  pushed  on  about  fifty  yards,  until  we  reached  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  and  here  we  found  birds  in  abundance.  Cabell 
shot  first  and  killed  a  large  bird  nearly  the  size  of  our  crow.  This 
was  a  male.  It  had  an  oriole  bill,  black  with  a  coral  red  tip,  a 
light  blue  excrescence  on  each  side  at  the  base  of  the  lower  man- 
dible, a  flesh-colored  excrescence  on  its  forehead,  and  light  blue 
skin  around  and  back  of  its  eye.  Its  feet  were  crow-like  and  black. 
Its  under  parts,  head,  neck,  and  wings  were  black,  the  feathers  of 
the  neck  with  white  bases.  From  its  forehead  sprung  tliree  long 
filamentous  feathers.  Its  upper  wing-coverts,  scapulars,  centre  of 
its  rump,  and  under  tail-coverts  Avere  rich  chocolate.  Its  tail  was 
clear  yellow  with  the  exception  of  the  two  central  feathers,  which 
were  black,  and  which  in  this  specimen  extended  only  halfway  down 
to  the  tip  of  the  tail  (Gi/Jimostinojjs  fjuathnozinus).  The  natives 
called  it  an  "  oro  pendola,"  gold  hang-nest ;  but  they  apply  this 
name  indiscriminately  to  all  the  oriole  family  that  build  pendent 
nests.     About  the  same  time  I  sliot  another,  very  similar  in  style 


66 


A    FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 


and  pattern  of  coloration,  but  of  about  half  the  size.  This  was  a 
female,  its  bill  plain  ivory  without  excrescences,  and  the  feathers  on 
its  crown  only  slightly  prolonged,  otherwise  its  coloration  was  the 
same  {Ostinoj^s  decumanii^).  The  two  kinds  were  together  in  a 
laro-e  straggling  flock.  Still  later  I  shot  a  third,  smaller  yet,  black 
with  a  black  tail,  a  clear  yellow  rump,  under  tail-coverts,  and  wing- 
spot.  Its  bill,  which  was  slightly  curved,  was  a  pinkish  ivory,  and 
the  feathers  of  the  crown  were  slightly  prolonged  {Cassicus  Jiavl- 
crissiis).  This  also,  like  the  first  two,  had  white  bases  to  the 
feathers  of  the  nape.  These  birds  build  together  in  communities. 
A  number  of  times,  along  the  river,  we  saw  in  large  detached  trees 
a  dozen  or  more  of  their  nests  hanging  like  stockings  from  the 
extremities  of  the  branches.     As   I  shot  the  second,  I  heard  the 


^i'  ifi 


w 


W' 


1/?; 


/>..v^./ 


y 


<^r  /yc^ 


"  OKO    I'/.KDOLA"    ((JYMN0.sTIN01'.S    (iLATl^'MOZINUs). 


J  &&ulemai\s  del. 


MiTLtern.  Bros  .  Ctiramo  lith.  London. 

PSITTACULA    CONSPICILLATA.Ia,fr. 


Blufi-runrped  Parrakeet 


Bftncroh  Libnuy 


THE   MAGI)  ALEX  A  BIVEB.  67 

harsh  screams  of  some  macaAvs  ahead  of  me,  so  I  pushed  on  throuo-h 
the  trees,  and  got  a  long-  shot  at  one  which  fell  screaming  in  a 
thorny  jungle.  I  forced  my  way  into  it,  and  as  I  picked  it  up  it 
bit  my  thumb  until  the  blood  streamed,  and  before  I  could  choke 
it  oft'  I  began  to  be  afraid  that  my  thumb  would  be  cut  in  two. 
Its  cries  attracted  its  mate,  Avhicli  I  also  shot.  They  were  smaller 
than  any  macaws  that  I  had  seen,  and  were  in  wretched  j^lumage. 
Their  general  color  was  a  grass-green,  bluish  about  the  head,  a 
reddish  brown  stripe  on  the  forehead,  primaries  blue  above,  reddish 
beneath,  under  wing-coverts  scarlet,  tail  reddish  at  base,  then  green, 
then  blue,  but  reddish  beneath,  skin  of  face  white  with  lines  of 
bristly  black  feathers,  beak  black,  feet  dark  [Ara  sever  a). 

A  little  later  I  shot  a  pair  of  the  small  parrakeets  that  I  had  seen 
for  several  days  past.  They  were  miniature  parrots,  no  larger  than 
sparrows,  a  bright  grass-green,  with  secondaries,  ujiper  and  under 
wing-coverts,  rump,  and  a  ring  around  the  eye  a  deep  blue,  beak 
and  feet  flesh-color  [Pslttacida  conspicillatay 

I  also  shot  a  tanager,  which  the  natives  called  a  "  cardinal."  It 
was  like  our  scarlet  tanager  in  size  and  distribution  of  color,  except 
that  the  scarlet,  which  was  beautifully  clear  on  the  rump,  «n'ew 
darker  towards  the  head  until  it  became  a  dark  garnet.  The  plu- 
mage was  velvety,  especially  the  black  of  the  wings.  The  upjDer 
mandible  was  black,  the  lower  a  light  horn-color  {Ramjihocehis 
dhnldlatus).  Cabell  then  shot  a  small  puft'-bird  about  the  size  of 
our  pewee,  but  with  a  larger  head  and  weaker  tail.  Its  upper  man- 
dible was  forked  at  the  tip  like  that  of  the  one  that  we  shot  at 
Barranquilla.  It  was  black  above,  Avhite  below,  with  a  black  collar, 
white  specks  on  the  forehead,  a  white  spot  on  the  scapulars  and  a 
little  wdiite  on  the  rump  [Bucco  suhfectus).  Just  as  we  were  getting 
on  the  boat,  he  shot  a  beautiful  little  bird  about  the  size  of  our 
chipping- sparrow,  glossy  blue-black  above,  with  a  yellow  forehead 
and  bright  yellow  below  [Euphonia  crasslrostrls).  This  was  a 
male,  and  in  better  plumage  than  any  bird  that  we  had  gotten  so 
far.     The  female,  as  I  found  out  later,  is  of  a  plain  greenish  yellow. 


68  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 

After  tlie  boat  started,  I  was  busy  for  several  hours  skinning  the 
birds.  The  macaws  were  especially  troublesome,  as  the  skin  of  the 
neck  refused  to  pass  over  the  skull. 

In  the  afternoon  the  boat  stopped  again  and  we  went  ashore,  but 
it  was  so  boiling  hot  that  very  few  birds  were  stirring.  Cabell, 
Avho  was  some  distance  ahead  of  me,  fired,  and  as  I  came  up  he 
called  out  that  he  had  killed  a  humming-bird  as  large  as  a  tanager. 
It  was  certainly  a  beautiful  bird,  and  its  metallic  i^lumage  and  long 
bill  gave  it  a  slight  resemblance  to  a  humming-bird.  It  was  a  jaca- 
mar,  brilliant  metallic  green  and  bronze  above,  including  the  two 
central  tail-feathers.  The  remaining  tail-feathers  and  the  under 
parts  were  rufous.  Its  throat  was  white  and  was  separated  from  the 
breast  by  a  band  of  the  same  color  as  the  back  (Galbula  ruficcmda)- 
I  saw  here  a  pair  of  toucans,  and  got  a  shot  at  one,  but  failed  to  get 
it  or  to  see  whether  I  had  hit  it  or  not.  Its  breast  was  dark  red ; 
its  other  colors  I  could  not  distinguish.  I  also  saw  in  the  forest  a 
number  of  dark  reddish  squirrels  with  white  bellies.  They  were  the 
size  of  our  gray  squirrel  and  were  extremely  gentle,  allowing  me 
almost  to  touch  them  with  my  gun-barrel  as  they  sat  watching  me. 
On  my  way  back  to  the  boat  a  bird  fluttered  up  from  the  thick 
grass  in  front  of  me,  and  I  got  it  by  a  snap  shot,  but  my  heavy 
choke-bore  unfortunately  spoiled  it  as  a  specimen.  It  was  a  species 
of  whippoorwill,  just  about  the  size  of  ours,  and,  like  ours,  had 
bristles  along  its  gape.  It  had  a  white  throat-patch,  and  beneath 
was  marked  just  like  our  night-hawk,  but  the  ground  color  was 
more  reddish  brown.  Its  wings  and  tail  were  somewhat  like  a 
whippoor will's,  the  wings  with  a  light  huffy  spot  on  the  primaries. 
Its  back  was  mottled  and  the  scapulars  had  bufFy  outer  edges 
[Nyctldromus  alhlcoUls).  Several  times  at  night  along  the  river 
I  heard  the  cry  "  whip-poor-will,"  and  others  very  similar,  but  I 
do  not  know  what  bird  uttered  them. 

At  this  place  the  steward  of  the  boat  came  up  to  me  Avith  two 
dirty  white  eggs  just  the  size  and  shape  of  those  of  our  yellow- 
billed  cuckoo.     Showing  them  to  me,  he  said,  "azul,  azul "  (blue, 


THE  2IAGDALENA    KIVER.  69 

blue),  and  going  off  lie  returned  with  a  saucer  o£  wood  ashes  and  a 
moist  rag,  and  began  to  rub  the  eggs.  In  a  short  while  all  of  the 
white  disappeared  and  they  became  the  color  of  a  robin's  eoo-.  He 
said  that  they  were  the  eggs  of  the  ani. 

In  the  afternoon  I  skinned  the  birds,  and  we  shot  a  good  many 
times  at  alligators.  The  river  was  now  very  crooked  and  swift  and 
full  of  sand-bars  and  snags,  so  at  dusk  we  tied  up  for  the  nioht. 
At  this  place  we  saw  two  long-tailed  monkeys  make  off  through  the 
treetops  as  we  came  up.  We  saw  quantities  of  birds  all  day,  blue 
and  yellow  macaws,  ducks,  herons,  ibises,  parrakeets,  spoonbills,  etc. 

I  was  fighting  red  ants  throughout  the  day.  The  few  butter- 
flies that  I  had  captured,  I  tried  in  every  Avay  to  save.  They  were 
put  in  tin  boxes  with  camphor,  but  whenever  they  were  left  for  two 
hours  I  invariably  found  them  literally  swarming  with  ants,  their 
heads  and  bodies  eaten  off,  and  their  wings  coming  to  pieces.  No- 
thing but  putting  them  on  a  tumbler  in  a  basin  of  water  protected 
them.  This  was  impracticable  for  bird-skins,  and  I  was  afraid  that 
I  would  lose  them  all.  I  put  the  skins  in  the  tray  of  my  trunk, 
which  I  suspended  by  strings  from  the  ceiling,  but  by  niolit  I  dis- 
covered the  ants  traveling  up  and  down  the  strings  in  an  unbroken 
column.  After  this  I  rubbed  the  strings  with  kerosene  oil  and  car- 
bolic acid,  and  tied  lumps  of  camphor  to  them,  but  the  ants  were 
not  delayed  in  the  slightest.  I  finally  borrowed  from  the  steward 
three  soup-plates,  which  I  filled  with  water  and  placed  in  the  centre 
of  each  a  tumbler ;  on  these  three  pedestals  I  put  my  tray,  and  the 
ants  were  baffled  at  last. 

It  was  clear  and  very  hot,  especially  in  the  early  night,  but  we 
were  not  troubled  by  mosquitoes. 

Wednesday,  June  29,  1892.  Cabell  Avas  taken  with  a  slight 
fever  last  night,  caused  by  going  out  in  the  hot  sun  yesterday  after- 
noon. He  felt  badly  all  day,  so  did  not  leave  the  boat.  At  our 
first  stop,  Lindauer  and  myself  went  ashore  and  killed  a  number  of 
birds.  I  shot  first  a  pair  of  the  little  blue-rumped  parrakeets  (Psit- 
tacida  conspiciUata),  a  male  and  female.    The  female  is  plain  grass- 


70  A   FLYING    TEIP    TO   THE   TROPICS. 

green  without  any  blue.  In  a  marshy  spot  near  a  Uttle  stream,  I 
shot  one  of  the  black  and  white  birds  that  I  had  seen  in  the  marshes 
at  Barranquilla.  It  was  a  male,  a  little  smaller  than  a  pewee,  Avhite, 
with  AvingSj  tail,  back  of  head,  and  centre  of  back  black  {Fluvi- 
cola  j^'^cct).  I  also  shot  three  more  jacamars  [G.  rKficauda)  and  a 
puff-bird  like  the  one  we  got  at  Barranquilla  (B.  rujicoUis).  Lin- 
dauer  shot  a  couple  of  flycatchers  ;  the  first,  a  male,  smaller  than 
our  bee-martin,  yellow  below,  brownish  olive  above,  crown  brown, 
with  a  large  yellow  and  orange  patch,  white  streak  from  nostrils 
above  eye  to  back  of  head,  and  throat  Avliite  {Mylozetetes  cay- 
ennensls) ;  the  second,  a  female,  about  the  size  of  our  great-crested 
flycatcher,  plumbeous  above,  a  small  orange  crown-patch,  throat  and 
breast  grayish,  and  below  light  yellow  {Tyrannus  melancholicus). 
He  also  shot  a  most  peculiar  and  beautiful  little  bird,  a  male  in  fine 
plumage.  It  was  about  the  size  of  a  w^-en,  but  with  an  extremely 
short  and  awkward-looking  tail.  Its  legs  were  white  with  a  scarlet 
ring  above  the  tarsus,  its  head  rich  golden  yellow  becoming  orange 
with  traces  of  scarlet  at  the  back.  The  rest  of  its  plumage  was 
glossy  blue-black.  Its  eyes  were  white  with  fine  red  lids,  and 
its  bill  light  yellow  {F'qyra  mirlcapUla).  At  this  place  I  saw  a 
flock  of  certainly  five  hundred  of  the  orange- chinned  parrakeets 
(Brotogerys  jugular  is)  in  a  mango-tree  near  the  boat. 

After  leaving  this  place,  we  stopped  no  more  until  we  tied  up  for 
the  night ;  so  I  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  skinning  the  birds  and 
shooting  at  alligators.  Every  sand-bar,  or  "  playa "  as  they  are 
called,  was  sure  to  have  a  number  on  it.  They  generally  lie  in  the 
sun  with  their  mouths  wide  open,  the  upper  jaw  making  an  angle 
of  forty-five  degrees  Avitli  the  lower.  When  shot  at,  they  sometimes 
slid  off'  into  the  water  like  terrapins  from  a  log ;  but  when  they 
were  well  up  on  the  playa,  they  rose  deliberately  to  their  feet  and 
walked  off,  their  bodies  looking  as  high  from  the  ground  as  that  of 
a  dog:- 

All  day  long  the  river  was  very  crooked ;  there  were  bluffs  of 
red  clay  along  the  shores ;  the  country  was  not  so  marshy,  and  we 


THE  MAGDALENA    EIVER. 


71 


rm 


'^f'tvg;^|w|^'l.^^^'w 


LOOKING    DOWN    THE    MAGDALENA    FROM    BANCO. 


saw  no  ducks  or  white  egrets,  but  numbers  of  macaws,  parrots, 
kingfishers,  and  wood  ibises.  The  doctor  gave  Cabell  a  sudorific, 
and  at  night  he  was  much  better.  We  spent  a  very  hot  night, 
tormented  by  mosquitoes. 

Thursday,  June  30,  1892.  We  made  an  early  start  this  morn- 
ing, and  did  not  stop  until  Ave  reached  Puerto  Berrio,  about  ten 
o'clock.  This  is  a  village  on  the  western  bank  o£  the  Magdalena, 
and  is  the  starting-point  for  the  Anti()quia  Railroad,  which  is  des- 
tined to  reach  Medillin,  the  cai)ital  of  the  department  of  Antioquia, 
but  which  now  terminates  at  Pavas,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the 
river.  Here  Lindauer  and  myself  went  ashore  with  the  guns.  Cabell, 
although  feeling  well,  thought  it  best  to  keep  out  of  the  sun.  We 
went  back  a  short  distance  along  the  railroad  track ;   but  it  was 


72 


A   FLYING   TBIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 


POLYERATA    AMAKILIS. 

(From  £lUo;.) 


rather  late  in  the  day  for  the  birds  to  be  stirring,  so  we  saw  only  a 
few.  I  got  two  new  ones :  the  first  a  tanager,  a  male  jnst  the  size 
of  the  "  cardinal."  It  Avas  velvety  black,  with  a  beautifully  clear 
yellow  rump,  its  bill  light  horn-color  with  darker  cutting  edges 
[Rampliocehis  Icteronotus).     The   second  was  a  humming-bird,  a 

female,  green  above,  the  rump  and  tail- 
feathers  bronzy,  the  lateral  tail-feathers 
o-rowino;  darker  towards  the  ends  and 
tipped  with  white.  Below  it  was  gray- 
ish, with  a  few  metallic  green  and  blue 
feathers  on  the  throat  [Pohjerata  ama- 
hUls).  The  natives  call  humming-birds 
"  cliupa  flores,"  flower-suckers,  and  some- 
times "  pica  flores."  Several  hours  later 
in  the  day  the  boat  stopped  again  and  we 
went  ashore,  but  it  Avas  too  scorching  hot 
for  anything  to  be  stirring.  I  shot  a  large  oriole,  about  the  size 
of  our  robin,  with  a  black  beak,  face,  chin,  and  wings,  and  black 
and  yellow  tail,  the  rest  of  the  plumage  yellow.  It  was  in  such 
poor  plumage  that  I  did  not  preserve  it,  so  now  have  to  regret  not 
being  able  to  identify  it. 

On  my  way  back  to  the  boat  I  saw  up  a  small  tree  what  I  thought 
was  a  very  large  snake,  but  upon  closer  examination  I  found  it  to 
be  an  iguana,  which  I  shot  and  carried  back  with  me.  It  was  forty- 
three  inches  in  length,  the  greater  part  of  this  being  taken  up  by  its 
tail,  which  tapered  to  a  jioint  and  was  striped  with  broad  bands  of 
gray  and  black.  Its  body,  which  was  about  the  size  of  our  rabbit's, 
was  green  with  black  marks.  Along  its  back  Avas  a  row  of  leath- 
ery spines  (longer  than  in  the  species  figured),  and  beneath  its 
throat  Avas  a  pouch  or  dcAvlap.  I  skinned  its  body,  and  got  one  of 
the  bongo  men  to  cure  the  skin  for  me  by  rubbing  it  Avith  Avood- 
ashes.  Its  flesh,  Avhich  is  eaten  by  the  natives,  looked  good,  and  I 
noticed  that  it  had  the  same  odor  as  that  of  our  bull-frog.  At  this 
place  there  Avere  a  feAV  Indian  huts,  and  around  them  a  small  grove 


THE  MAGDALENA   RIVER. 


73 


of  cacao-trees,  from  which  chocolate  is  made.  They  were  not 
over  twenty-five  feet  high,  smooth  barked  and  big  leaved.  The  fruit 
looked  very  much  like  an  oblong-  warty  squash,  and  grew  close  to 
the  main  trunk  and  large  limbs.  They  were  about  eight  inches 
long,  some  green,  others  a  deep  purplish  red,  and  wdien  cut  open 
showed  a  white  pith  in  which  w^ere  imbedded  bean-like  seeds  the 
size  of   our  lima  beans  but  thicker.     These,  when  ripe,  are  taken 


IGUANA    TUBERCULATA. 


out,  roasted,  and  then  ground  between  two  stones,  mixed  with 
coarse  sugar,  and  the  result  is  chocolate.  Hung  up  against  one  of 
the  huts  to  dry,  I  saw  several  peccary  skins  of  the  plain  unhanded 
species  [Dlcotyles  labiatus).  I  was  told  that  they  were  common  in 
the  forest  here. 

Lower  down  along  the  river  the  native  huts  are  made  of  a  wattle 
of  split  bamboo,  or  small  sticks,  daubed  with  mud  and  thatched 
with  palm-leaves  (see  page  55),  but  here  the  walls  are  made  in  a 


14:  A  FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

different  manner.  The  large  cane  or  bamboo,  tlie  "  guaduas,"  which 
often  is  six  inches  in  diameter,  is  taken  and  partially  split  in  a 
nnmber  of  places  about  an  inch  apart,  after  which  the  whole  tube 
can  be  opened  out,  making  a  very  rough  plank  from  a  foot  to 
eighteen  inches  in  width.  These  are  lashed  to  the  framework  with 
bark  or  slender  vines.  We  also  saw  many  huts  with  nothing  but 
a  roof  and  the  four  corner  posts,  protection  from  the  sun  and  rain 
being  all  that  was  required. 

The  natives  along  the  river  are,  as  a  rule,  cleanly,  amiable,  inof- 
fensive, and  very  indolent.  All  carry  the  "  machete,"  a  long  and 
heavy  sword-like  knife,  Avliich  is  the  universal  tool.  It  is  about 
thirty  inches  long,  sharp  on  one  edge,  the  back  being  very  thick, 
and  the  blade  widens  from  the  handle  nntil  near  the  point,  where 
it  is  sometimes  five  inches  broad,  then  tapers  suddenly.  It  is  used 
like  a  cleaver.  Those  that  I  saw  Avere  made  in  England  and  in 
the  United  States.  They  are  sometimes  carried  in  a  heavy  leather 
scabbard,  sometimes  in  a  small  loop  of  leather  tied  around  the  waist. 
I  saw  a  few  axes,  but  they  were  all  of  the  old  Spanish  pattern,  like 
those  shown  in  the  old  illustrations  of  "  Robinson  Crusoe,"  the  blade 
fan-shaped,  with  a  ring  at  the  back  for  the  insertion  of  the  handle. 

Notwithstandino'  the  tremendous  forests,  lumber  of  all  kinds  is 
scarce  and  dear.  There  are  few,  if  any,  saw-mills ;  boards  are  usu- 
ally sawn  out  by  hand,  and  a  plank  ten  feet  long,  a  foot  wide,  and 
an  inch  thick  sells  for  a  dollar  in  gold. 

Although  the  natives  are  indolent,  they  can  work,  for  the  bongo 
men  sometimes  toil  day  after  day  under  the  broiling  sun  for  a  month 
or  six  weeks,  poling  their  heavy  bongos  up  the  Magdalena.  And, 
after  all,  a  living  comes  so  easily  to  them,  their  wants  are  so  few 
and  so  easily  supplied,  that  there  is  no  incentive  for  them  to  Avork. 
AVhen  a  native  wishes  to  set  up  a  house  for  himself,  he  selects  a  con- 
venient spot  along  the  river's  bank,  then  with  his  machete  cuts 
down  the  bushes  and  vines  and  girdles  the  larger  trees  over  an  acre 
or  two,  clears  off  the  debris  by  fire,  then  plants  a  hundred  plantain 
shoots.     In  a  little  over  six  months  the  plants  will  have  fruit  ready 


THE  MAGDALENA   RIVER. 


75 


for  food.  One  bunch,  which  can  be  bought  along-  the  river  for  a 
real,  will  keep  a  man  in  food  for  ten  days.  The  plantains  are  eaten 
green  or  ripe,  boiled,  baked,  fried,  or  raw,  and  are  a  fair  substitute 
for  potatoes  and  bread.  As  soon  as  the  bunch  of  fruit  is  cut  off, 
the  plant  is  cut  down  close  to  the  ground,  and  it  innuediately  puts 
up  fresh  shoots  which  bear  again  in  six  months,  and  so  on.  The 
natives  call  plantains  "  plutanos,"  and  bananas  they  call  "  platani- 
tos,"  little  plantains.     The  bananas  that  we  got  in  Colombia  were 


A    i;OMiO    UU    (llAJIl'.VN    OX    lilE  AlAUUALEXA. 
(By  pennission  of  Bureau  of  American  Republics.) 


among  the  most  delicious  of  fruits.  They  were  small,  with  a  skin 
as  thin  as  a  kid  glove,  and  of  an  exquisitely  delicate  flavor,  incom- 
parably superior  to  those  that  we  have.  These  will  not  bear 
transportation.  From  seeing  the  biuiches  before  our  fruit  stores,  I 
had  always  thought  that  bananas  grew  pendent  on  the  bunch,  but 
they  grow  with  their  free  ends  pointing  up.  The  natives  raise  a 
little  corn,  but  there  is  no  systematic  method  of  planting  or  cultivat- 
ing it.  The  difference  in  cultivation  is  shown  by  the  ears,  on  which 
the  grains  are  irregularly  distributed,  and  not  in  long  parallel 
rows  as  in  our  corn.     As  there  are  no  mills,  they  grind  the  little 


76 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


corn  tliat  tliey  need  between  two  stones,  the  same  two  stones  that  are 
used  in  makiiiij"  chocolate  and  also  in  o-nndino-  coffee.  The  river 
supplies  them  Avitli  fish  and  turtle  in  abundance,  and  they  easily 


.•■•/'}yiv.-/-/<xl-'./l. 


CITKON-BREASTED    TOUCAN. 


trap  different  birds  near  their  huts.  They  need  but  few  clothes, 
they  raise  enough  tobacco  for  their  own  use,  and  the  native  rum, 
"  aguardiente,"  costs  about  the  same  as  our  cider.  Their  household 
furniture  is  limited  to  a  few  hammocks,  two  or  three  earthenware 


THE  IIAGDALENA   RIVER.  77 

pots,  and  a  supply  of  calabashes  and  turtle  shells  which  serve  as 
dishes  and  spoons. 

In  the  afternoon  we  came  to  a  portion  of  the  river  called  "  An- 
gostura," or  narrows,  very  narrow  and  swift,  where  even  with  a  full 
head  of  steam  we  barely  crept  along*.  Here  I  saw  a  great  many 
turtles  and  alligators,  large  flocks  of  macaws,  and  some  roseate 
spoonbills.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  stopped  for  wood  and  I  went 
ashore,  but  did  not  take  my  gun.  Lindauer  took  one  of  the  guns, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  returned  with  two  new  birds.  The  first  was 
a  very  fine  toucan,  a  female  in  good  plumage.  It  was  about  the  size 
of  our  crow,  had  a  very  large,  finely  serrate  beak  which  was  bril- 
liantly colored  with  black,  Avhite,  green,  blue,  and  yellow.  Its  eye 
and  the  skin  of  its  face  were  a  beautiful  peacock-blue,  its  feet  light 
blue.  Its  general  color  was  black,  breast,  throat,  and  face  light  yel- 
low, becoming  white  on  the  cheeks,  and  separated  from  the  black  of 
the  under  parts  by  a  bright  red  belt.  Its  tail  was  black  and  square, 
the  upper  coverts  yellow,  the  lower  bright  red  [Ramphastos  citreo- 
lannus.  (See  frontispiece.)  The  second  was  a  parrot,  the  size  of 
a  small  pigeon,  a  female  in  poor  plumage.  Its  beak  was  black  with 
a  coral-red  spot  on  each  side,  general  plumage  green,  and  head 
and  neck  blue,  ear-coverts  black,  a  few  rosy  feathers  among  the 
blue  of  lower  throat,  the  four  central  tail-feathers  green  with  blue 
tips,  the  others  blue,  rosy  at  the  base.  The  under  coverts  were 
pink  with  blue  stems  and  yellow  tips,  the  edge  of  the  wing  pink 
and  yellow  {Plonus  onenstruus).  I  found  both  the  toucan  and 
parrot  difficult  to  skin  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  the  neck. 
The  colors  of  the  beak  and  skin  of  the  toucan  faded  in  a  few  hours. 
The  nostrils  of  the  toucan  were  not  in  the  beak  proper,  but  in  the 
crease  between  the  base  of  the  beak  and  the  frontal  feathers.  The 
*' pope's  nose"  of  the  toucan  was  longer  than  that  of  any  bird  that 
I  have  skinned,  and  it  is  so  freely  jointed  that  the  bird  can  move  its 
tail  in  any  position.  It  is  owing  to  this  structure  that  when  roosting 
the  toucan  can  turn  its  tail  over  to  cover  its  back  and  head. 

The  boatmen  killed  in  the  woodpile  here  a  scorpion,  plain  olive- 


78 


A   FLYING   TRIP   10    THE   TROPICS. 


o-reen  in  color,  and  the  size  of  a  small  fiddler  crab.  We  tied  up 
for  the  night.  It  Avas  hot,  but  we  were  not  troubled  by  mosquitoes. 
Friday,  July  1,  1892.  We  made  an  early  start  and  did  not 
stop  until  late  in  the  forenoon,  when  it  was  too  hot  to  find  many 
birds.     I  went  ashore  and  killed  a  curved-billed  humming-bird  like 


COLLAKED    AKAJAKI    (PTEKOGLOSSUS    TOKQUATUs). 


those  that  we  had  shot  on  June  28  (yGIaucls  hirsuta),  and  a  pair 
of  new  toucans,  smaller  than  the  one  that  Lindauer  killed.  Their 
tails  were  longer  and  the  feathers  graduate  like  those  of  our  cuckoo. 
Their  beaks  Avere  deeply  serrate,  the  upper  mandible  yellowish 
white  with  a  black  tip,  a  black  streak  on  top,  and  a  reddish  mark  at 
the  side  of  base  ;  the  lower  mandible  black,  and  both  bordered  at  the 


THE  MAGDALENA   RIVER.  79 

base  by  a  white  line.  The  skin  of  the  face  was  scarlet,  the  eyes 
yellow,  and  the  feet  olive-g-reen.  The  head  and  throat  were  blue- 
black,  a  brown  collar  at  the  back  of  neck ;  back,  wings,  and  tail 
greenish  black,  rump  scarlet,  below  yellow,  orange  on  the  breast,  a 
black  spot  in  centre  of  the  breast,  and  lower  a  black  and  red  belt, 
the  thighs  brown  (Ptero(jIossus  torquatus).  Both  were  females 
in  poor  plumage.  Their  tongues  were  bristly,  like  a  worn-out 
feather.     The  remainder  of  the  day  I  did  but  little. 

The  river-banks  became  higher  and  gravelly,  the  water  much 
colder,  and  fewer  alligators  Avere  seen.  We  dropped  our  bongo,  so 
made  better  time,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  moonlight,  we  ran 
until  nine  o'clock,  and  finally  tied  up  about  fifteen  miles  below 
Yeguas,  our  destination.  It  was  very  hot  all  day,  but  cooled  a  little 
after  sunset. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  MULE  ROAD  AND  GUADUAS. 


Saturday,  July  2,  1892.  We  made  an  early  start,  but  stopped 
for  wood  a  few  miles  below  Yeguas.  I  was  busy  getting  our  bag- 
gage together,  but  went  ashore  at  this  place.  I  saw  no  birds,  but 
found  scattered  about  over  the  ground  a  number  of  land  shells. 


LAND  SHELL  FROM  NEAR  YEGUAS. 


white,  with  rosy  lips,  the  largest  that  I  had  ever  seen,  larger  than 
lemons,  some  being  four  inches  long  {Bulmius  obJongus,  Miill.). 
I  brouo'ht  back  several  with  me.  I  was  told  that  the  animal  inhab- 
iting  these  shells  lays  an  Gg^  much  similar  in  size,  shape,  and  color 
to  the  eggs  of   the  little  ground  dove.     Shortly  after  I  came  on 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND    GUADUAS. 


81 


(From  "  Riverside  Natural  History,"  by  permission  of  Ilougliton 
Mifflin  &  Co.) 


^4^ 


board,  some  of  the  men  came  down 

to  the  boat,   dragging  a  very  large 

rattlesnake,    which     they    had    just 

killed    near    the    spot    where    I    had 

picked    lip  the    shells.      It  was    not 

so  brightly  colored  as  those  that  we  have  in  Virginia,  but  was  rusty 

brown,  with  a  series  o£  dull  yellowish,  diamond-shajied  marks  along 

its  back.     The  native  name  for  rattlesnake  is  "  cascabel." 

Just  before  reaching  Yeguas  the  river  becomes  very  rapid,  and 
curves  to  the  left  for  almost  half  a  circle.  Yeguas,  which  is  on  the 
western  bank,  is  a  collection  of  four  or  five  bamboo  and  thatch 
huts  upon  the  top  of  a  gravelly  bank,  some  twenty  feet  above  the 
water.  One  of  these  huts  serves  as  a  station  for  the  Dorada  Rail- 
road, which  runs  from  here  to  Honda,  about  fourteen  miles  above. 
We  arrived  at  ten  o'clock,  just  half  an  hour  too  late  for  the  morn- 
ing train,  so  were  compelled  to  wait  on  board  until  half  past  three. 
The  road  is  narrow  gauge,  the  cars  small  and  not  very  clean,  and 
the  country  hot  and  dusty.  At  Yeguas  the  character  of  the  coun- 
try changes  abruptly,  the  heavy  forests  disappear;  their  place  is 
taken  by  level  plains,  good  examples  of  geological  terraces,  with 
here  and  there  high,  flat-topped,  and  barren  hills.  The  strata  in 
the  hills  lie  horizontally,  and  erosion  has  j^roduced  the  same  style 
of  landscape  as  seen  in  many  pictures  of  Arizona.     Upon  leaving 


82 


A   FLYING   TBIP    TO   THE   TROPICS. 


Yeguas,  the  train  first  goes  up  a  steep  incline,  until  it  gets  upon  the 
level  terrace,  where  it  runs  for  some  time  at  a  fair  rate  of  speed. 
This  plain  is  in  parts  several  miles  broad,  covered  with  a  very  rank 
sort  of  grass  or  broom  straw ;  and  scattered  here  and  there  are 
clumps  of  palms.  A  great  many  cattle  were  feeding  about.  Along 
here  on  the  telegraph  poles  I  saw  a  number  of  small  hawks,  appar- 
ently the  same  as  our  sparrow-hawk,  and  some  large  buzzards, 
larger,  perhaps,  than  our  red-tailed  hawk,  with  dark  reddish  brown 
wings  {Heteros2nzias  meridionaJls  f). 

After  ofoino'  about  five  miles,  we  heard  a  or-reat  whistlino-  and 

tootino-  of  the  enoine,  and  lookino-  out  saw 
that  we  had  just  run  over  a  cow.  Instead 
of  stopping  the  train,  the  engineer  tried 
to  pull  it  over  the  cow ;  so,  after  she  had 
been  dragged  several  hundred  yards,  and 
had  rolled  from  one  car  to  another,  until 
she  reached  the  centre  of  the  train,  the 
rear  wheels  of  a  truck  were  thrown  from 
the  track,  and  we  had  to  stop.  By  the 
help  of  two  wedge-like  inclined  planes  of 
steel,  the  car  was  gotten  back  with  but 
little  delay  ;  but  the  poor  animal  was 
found  with  her  neck  wedgfed  between  the 
wdieels  of  the  folio  wins'  car.  After  trvino- 
in  vain  for  fifteen  minutes  to  back  or  pull 
the  rest  of  the  train  over  the  body,  they 
concluded  to  take  an  axe  and  cut  off  her 
head,  after  which  she  was  pulled  out,  load- 
ed up  on  a  flat,  and  Ave  went  ahead. 

A  few  miles  below  Honda,  the  moun- 
tains, which  here  are  barren,  dusty,  precipitous,  and  furrowed  with 
gullies  and  ravines,  close  in  on  the  river  until  it  is  shut  in  in  a 
deep  gorge.  At  Honda,  there  flows  into  the  Magdalena  from  the 
west  the   Guali,   a   small,   swift,   and    extremely  muddy  stream   of 


%      HONDA 


ARRANCA     PLUMAS 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADVAS.  83 

some  thirty  yards  in  width ;  and  a  few  hundred  yards  above,  a 
second  and  smaller  stream  comes  in.  Between  these  there  is  a 
comparatively  level  terrace  which  widens  considerably  as  one  goes 
back  from  the  river,  and  on  this  and  along-  the  river-shore  the  town 
is  built. 

We  reached  Honda  about  five,  and  went  at  once  to  the  best  hotel, 
a  very  neat  one  kept  by  two  Englishmen,  Messrs.  Bowden  and  Will- 
cox.  It  was  a  positive  luxury,  after  being  cramped  up  on  the 
steamer  for  so  many  days,  to  get  into  a  clean  and  spacious  room,  to 
find  cots  with  clean  sheets,  and  above  all  to  have  clean  and  appetiz- 
ing food.  After  seeing  that  Alice  was  comfortably  fixed,  Cabell 
and  I  went  out  to  call  upon  our  consul,  Mr.  Henry  Hallam,  and  to 
take  a  look  at  the  town.  We  did  not  iind  Mr.  Hallam,  but  at  his 
office  was  a  cablegram,  sent  from  New  York  ^he  preceding  day, 
saying  that  all  were  well  at  home. 

The  town  is  not  of  much  size,  and  offers  nothing  of  especial 
interest.  It  is  said  to  be  the  hottest  place  on  the  river,  and  deserves 
its  reputation.  It  is  shut  in  by  the  parched  and  baked  mountains, 
and  the  few  breezes  that  stir  feel  like  blasts  of  hot  air  from  a  fur- 
nace. The  houses  are  of  the  usual  type,  some  thatched,  some  tiled. 
Through  the  enterprise  of  Mr.  Hallam,  water  has  lately  been 
brought  into  the  town.  This  gentleman  has  also  established  a  line 
of  wagons  running  westward  to  Mariquita  over  the  terraces  of  the 
valley  of  the  Guali.  I  mention  this  as  wheeled  vehicles  are  prac- 
tically unknown  throughout  the  interior  of  Colombia.  I  was  told 
that  the  muddiness  of  the  Gauli  was  due  to  the  hydraulic  working 
of  gold  mines  near  its  head-waters.  This  river  was  in  former  times 
spanned  near  its  mouth  by  a  ponderous  masonry  bridge  of  two 
arches,  but  this  was  destroyed  by  the  earthquake  of  1805,  and  now 
there  is  a  fair  iron  brido-e  thrown  across  from  the  old  abutments, 
and  a  short  distance  above  there  is  a  second  brido-e  of  wood.  In 
the  upper  members  of  this  iron  bridge  several  large  swallows 
had  their  nests.  The  centre  jiier  of  the  original  bridge  remains, 
twisted   to   one    side,   and    leaning  up-stream.      There   are   in   the 


84 


A    FLYIXG    TBIP   TO    THE    TEOPICS. 


% 


.      4 


ter- 


IF    KKllXiK 


l\KU     i'HE    (H  ALi    DhSl  l;t)VKl)    1;V    KAKTHlH'AKE. 


town  the  ruins  o£  a  large  cathedral  which  was  destroyed  at  the 
same  time. 

The  Magdalena  here  is  very  swift,  the  rapids  in  front  of  the  town 
being  like  those  below  Niagara  Falls,  and  it  is  of  course  impassable 
for  steamers ;  but  above  the  rapids  there  are  some  small  steamers, 
running  irregularly,  which  have  at  times  continued  the  navigation  of 
the  river  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  far  as  the  town  of  Neiva. 

We  saw  piled  up  near  the  railroad  station  many  small  bags  filled 
with  a  heavy  sand-like  silver  ore,  intended  for  shipment  to  England. 
Along  the  streets  I  saw  a  number  of  men  with  bad-looking  ulcers 
about  their  ankles  and  shins,  and  a  few  witli  elephantiasis,  a  form 
of  leprosy  in  which  the  ankle  thickens  enormously. 

We  were  so  pleased  Avith  our  hotel  that  we  thought  of  waiting 
here  for  several  days  to  recuperate,  but  about  dusk  Lindauer  came 


THE   MULE  no  AD  AND   GUADUAS. 


S5 


in  to  say  that  lie  would  leave  for  Bogota  early  the  next  morning, 
and  that  his  muleteer  had  enough  mules  to  supply  us  also,  so  we 
concluded  to  go  on,  and  accordingly  sent  our  trunks  on  ahead,  so 
that  they  could  be  gotten  across  the  river  before  we  started.  It  Avas 
clear  and  hot. 

Sunday,  July  3,  1892.  For  the  last  five  or  six  days  on  the  river 
we  had  been  without  ice,  and  for  a  refreshing-  drink  had  taken  a 
great  deal  of  lemonade  made  from  the  limes,  or  "  limones,"  that 
were  found  in  abundance  at  every  village.  This  had  somewhat 
upset  me,  so  I  was  not  feeling  particularly  well ;  however,  we  had  a 
light  breakfast  at  six,  and  started  soon  after.  There  was  no  train 
running,  so  we  had  to  walk  up  to  the  ferry  at  Arranca  Plumas, 
about  a  mile  above  the  town.     It  was  the  ordinary  swing  ferry ;  a 


SWING    FEHRY   AT   ARRANCA    PLUMAS. 

(After  Millican.) 


86  A   FLYING    TBIP    TO   THE   TROPICS. 

wire  cable  is  stretched  across  the  river,  and  on  this  a  pulley  runs. 
The  boat,  a  large  flat  lighter,  is  fastened  diagonally  to  the  pulley, 
and  the  force  of  the  current  carries  it  across.  It  usually  stops  about 
twenty  feet  from  the  shore,  and  is  hauled  in  the  rest  of  the  way  by 
a  rope  thrown  out  from  the  landing.  Once  across,  we  scrambled  up 
a  steep  and  rough  bank  of  loose  pebbles  and  sand  to  a  little  ledge 
some  thirty  feet  up  the  mountain-side,  where  there  were  four  or  five 
miserable  bamboo  and  thatch  huts.  These,  although  their  thresh- 
olds were  on  a  level  with  the  road,  were  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground  at  the  back,  and  supported  on  rickety  bamboo  poles.  The 
floors  Avere  of  split  bamboo  with  cracks  through  Avhicli  one's  foot 
mioht  easily  slip.  In  these  huts  were  sold  various  drinks  and  some 
dirty  food  for  those  whom  hunger  compelled  to  eat  there.  In  front 
of  them  were  great  heaps  of  boxes  and  bales  on  their  Avay  to  the 
interior.  This  is  the  terminus  of  the  high-road  to  Bogota,  a  city 
that  now  claims  over  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 

Of  course,  our  trunks  had  not  gotten  across  after  all,  and  when 
they  were  finally  over,  the  mules  had  not  arrived,  and  when  the 
mules  came,  we  were  two  hours  in  loading.  Whilst  waiting  here, 
we  took  a  poor  breakfast  to  fortify  ourselves  for  the  road  ahead  of 
us.  In  the  trees  just  at  the  landing  I  saw  several  large  flocks  of 
the  orange-chinned  parrakeets. 

Our  trunks  were  lashed  Avith  ropes  of  raw  hide,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  little  mules,  and  smaller  parcels  were  put  between.  If  the 
trunks  did  not  balance,  the  lighter  one  was  made  heavier  by  tying 
stones  to  it.  The  mules  have  no  other  harness  than  a  pair  of 
piUow-like  pads,  which  are  furnished  with  both  breast-straps  and 
breeching.  When  all  are  loaded,  they  are  started  off  by  the  drivers, 
or  "  arrieros,"  who  follow  on  foot,  keep  the  herd  moving,  and  drive 
in  the  stragglers.  The  arrieros  keep  up  a  continual  whooping  and 
whistling,  so  that  the  mules  may  know  that  they  are  close  behind, 
applying  to  them  a  choice  selection  of  epithets,  — "  animalito," 
"  mula  del  diabolo,"  etc.  The  loads  are  continually  slipping,  and 
when  they  slip  must  be  rearranged  at  once.     The  arrieros  are  very 


THE  MVLE  liOAD  AND   GUADUAS.  87 

dexterous  at  this.  They  throw  their  ponclio  over  the  mule's  head, 
to  bhiidfohl  it,  and  it  stands  perfectly  quiet  until  the  poncho  is 
removed.  They  go  along  at  a  jjretty  good  rate,  but  it  is  pitiful 
to  see  the  little  creatures  staggering  under  tv»o  enormous  pack- 
ing-boxes as  large  as  themselves.      Often,  when  they  get  a  chance 


I'ACK-MULE    WITH    TKCKKS    AND    SLEEPING-MATS. 

to  stop,  they  lie  down  at  once,  and  then  cannot  rise  without  the 
help  of  the  arriero,  who  is  certain  to  add  blows  to  his  aid.  At 
numbers  of  places  along  the  road  w^e  saw  bones  where  the  poor 
animals  had  died  on  the  way.  In  this  manner  all  freight  is  carried 
to  and  froni  Bogota.  We  met  a  great  many  trains  on  their  way 
down  to  the  river.  Some  came  unloaded,  to  carry  back  freight,  but 
the  greater  part  brought  down  bales  of  hides  or  bags  of  coffee. 

We  finally  mounted  and  started  off  shortly  after  eleven,  leaving 
the  baggage  to  follow  on.  Alice  and  I  rode  horses ;  the  rest  were 
mounted  on  mules.  The  saddle,  bridle,  etc.,  are  spoken  of  collec- 
tively in  Spanish  as  "  la  montura."  Our  saddles  had  large  horns, 
and  were  furnished  with  breast-straps  as  w^ell  as  with  both  crupper 


88 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE   TBOPICS. 


and  breeching.  The  bridles  and  bits  were  very  heavy,  the  stirrups 
of  brass  and  shaped  hke  a  Turkish  shpper.  The  men,  when  riding, 
wear  enormous  spurs  and  a  kind  of  leggings  called  "  zamorras," 
something  like  the  baggy  rubber  leggings  used  among  us.  They 
are  made  of  canvas,  rubber-cloth,  or  of  leather,  and  are  buckled 
together  at  the  waist,  thus  forming  a  pair  of  trousers  without  a 
seat.  Some  that  I  saw  were  made  of  puma-skins.  They  are  so 
voluminous  that  they  completely  cover  the  rider's  feet,  and  when 
he   dismounts  they  look  like  an  awkward  skirt  and  interfere  with 


ADJUSTINC;    LOAD    ON    PACK-MULE. 


his  walking.  (See  page  97.)  For  the  first  two  miles  the  road, 
ascending  slowly,  ran  along  the  river  to  the  south  over  what  was 
once  the  besinninof  of  a  railroad.  The  embankments  had  washed 
away  in  many  places,  the  cuts  had  caved  in,  and  at  one  spot  we 


THE   MULE   ROAD  AND    GUADUAS.  89 

passed  a  dilapidated  old  locomotive  rotting  away,  with  weeds  orow- 
ing  over  the  hoiler.  This  road  was  to  have  reached  Bogota,  but 
the  funds  gave  out  with  the  first  two  miles.  At  the  end  of  this 
we  turned  in  abruptly  to  our  left  and  began  a  steep  ascent,  zig- 
zagging in  and  out  of  the  gulley-like  ravines  that  ran  down  to  the 
river.  When  near  the  crest  of  the  first  ridge,  the  road  ran  over 
a  rocky  surface  which  seemed  to  me  impassable.  It  sloped  up  at 
an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  but  the  feet  of  the  mules  had 
worn  little  pocket-like  steps  in  the  stone,  and  our  animals  went  up 
without  a  slip.  At  the  top  we  went  through  a  narrow  gorge,  then 
along  over  comparatively  level  ground  for  a  short  distance,  then  up 
and  through  a  second  gorge  so  narrow  that  my  stirrups  scraped  the 
sides,  and  down  and  across  a  rough  valley  several  miles  wide.  This 
valley  was  hot  and  dry,  but  in  the  centre  we  crossed  quite  a  large 
stream  flowing  to  the  south,  and  on  the  farther  side  we  followed  up 
the  partly  dry  bed  of  another  watercourse  until  we  struck  the  foot 
of  the  first  heavy  range.     Here  the  worst  part  of  the  road  began. 

All  travelers  in  Colombia,  from  the  time  of  Humboldt  to  the 
present  day,  have  commented  upon  this  road  from  Honda  to  Bogotii, 
and  all  agree  in  calling  it  superlatively  bad  ;  but  none  have  done 
it  justice.  In  my  limited  experience  I  had  been  over  some  of  the 
worst  roads  in  the  western  part  of  North  Carolina  and  in  West 
Virginia,  and  I  could  not  conceive  that  roads  could  be  worse,  but 
they  are  pleasant  drives  compared  to  this.  I  am  powerless  to  de- 
scribe it,  and  the  photographs  which  I  took  on  my  return  trip  give 
no  idea  of  the  steepness  of  the  road,  since  I  had  to  point  my  camera 
either  uphill  or  downhill,  and  thus  the  perspective  of  the  slope 
was  lost.  In  former  times  this  road  had  been  paved  with  blocks  of 
stone,  some  of  them  as  large  as  pillows.  This  pavement  was  in  some 
places  intact,  but  in  a  great  many  places  it  had  been  destroyed.  To 
get  a  faint  idea  of  the  unpaved  portion,  conceive  the  dried-up  bed 
of  a  rocky  stream,  filled  with  stones  from  the  size  of  a  barrel  down, 
placed  upon  a  hillside  with  a  slope  as  steep  as  a  roof.  The  paved 
parts  were  even  worse  on  account  of  the  slippery  foothold  that  they 


90 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


afforded  our  animals.  On  the  opposite  page  is  an  alleged  view  of  a 
portion  of  this  road,  hut  I  will  venture  to  say  that  the  artist  was 
never  in  Colombia,  or  never  saw  even  a  photograph  of  this  road. 


PORTION  OF  PAVED  ROAD  TO  BOGOTA. 


I  have  introduced  it  simply  to  show  what  is  the  generally  accepted 
idea  of  South  American  roads.  The  cut  on  page  241  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liam E.  Curtis's  work,  on  "  The  Capitals  of  Spanish  America,"  is 
much  more  like  the  true  state  of  the  case.     The  road  Avent  up  the 


*^^^^^. 


"J^», 


^$: 


ROAD    TO    BOGOTA. 

(By  permission  of  Bureau  of  American  Republics.) 


92  A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 

almost  perpendicular  crests  of  the  foothills,  zigzagging  back  and 
forth  at  every  ten  yards,  the  pavement  being  built  in  steps  up  which 
the  poor  mules  toiled.  After  about  three  hours'  climbing,  we 
stopped  for  rest  at  Las  Cruces,  a  mud  and  thatch  inn  on  the  right 
of  the  road.  We  found  the  air  here  decidedly  cooler.  Here  I  got 
some  good  oranges,  and  some  green  cocoanuts  which  were  not  nearly 
so  good  as  those  that  we  had  found  at  Barranquilla.  The  country 
through  which  we  had  passed  to  this  point  was  parched  and  in  some 
places  almost  barren,  being  covered  with  a  coarse  grass  and  cactus ; 
but  farther  on  we  struck  the  forest,  and  found  little  cool  streams 
crossing  the  road,  and  everything  was  fresher.  I  saw  in  the  valley 
many  beautiful  butterflies  (some  morphos  especially  being  of  large 
size  and  brilliant  color),  a  few  humming-birds,  and  several  flocks  of 
the  blue-rumped  parrakeets.  After  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour's 
rest,  we  started  again,  and  found  the  road  growing  steadily  steeper 
and  worse,  and  shortly  after  four  o'clock  we  stopped  at  a  second 
inn,  Consuelo  (consolation),  where  we  concluded  to  spend  the 
nio'ht.  We  were  still  half  an  hour  from  the  summit,  with  the  worst 
of  the  road  ahead  of  us ;  but  although  we  had  traveled  only  five 
hours,  we  all  felt  somewhat  used  up,  partly  on  account  of  the  heat 
and  partly  because  of  the  roughness  of  the  road.  The  view  from 
this  place  was  magnificent.  We  were  up  between  five  and  six 
thousand  feet,  and  could  see  across  the  valley  of  the  Magdalena 
to  the  distant  range  of  the  Cauca.  We  found  the  air  and  water 
much  cooler,  and  needed  blankets  at  night.  Alice  and  I  were  given 
a  little  room  in  which  were  two  wooden  frames  with  cowhides 
stretched  over  them  for  beds.  These  we  found  to  be  swarming 
with  fleas,  bedbugs,  and  a  kind  of  flying  roach  an  inch  and  a  half 
long,  so  we  spent  a  wakeful  night,  tormented  by  bites.  The  rest 
of  our  party  were  given  cots  in  the  main  room. 

The  landlord,  Don  Clemente  Mejija,  kept  a  blank  book,  by  way 
of  hotel  register,  in  which  his  various  guests  had  indulged  in  their 
fondness  for  poetry  by  writing,  above  their  names,  verses  in  praise 
of  the  host  and  of  his  hospitality,  or  by  giving  vent  to  the  emotions 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADUAS. 


93 


inspired  by  the   sublimity   and   beauty  of  the   view   of  the  distant 


mountani  ranges. 


In  the  yard  in  rear  of  the  liouse  was  chained  a  long-tailed  mon- 
key, black  with  a  white  face,  and  there  was  also  a  cage  of  dull  col- 
ored thrushes,  marked  somewhat  like  a  newly  fledged  robin,  but  not 
quite  so  large.  Don  Clemente  had  a  tame  troupial  which  was 
allowed  perfect  liberty,  but  which  came  from  the  forest  when 
called. 

On  the  road  we  passed  many  peons  bent  under  heavy  loads  of 


^^^^^^^^^■HHlnik                      '  mJtIEmb^^^^^^^^Pw 

i 

-•> 

•? 

w-\ 

.„     ^;^% 

:iFtM 

1^.      V  •^..    ^~*''*%^^H 

ON    THE    ROAD   TO    orADUAS. 


over  one  hundred  pounds,  the  weight  being  supported  partly  on 
their  shoulders  and  partly  by  a  strap  passed  across  their  foreheads. 
It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Monday,  July  4,  1892.      We  were  up  early  this  morning.     As  I 
was  feeling  worse,  we  decided  to  go  on  only  as  far  as  the  next  town, 


94 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 


Giiaduas,  and  stop  there,  but  as  Lindauer  was  going-  to  push  ahead, 
he  said  good-by  to  us,  and  hurried  on.  We  had  a  light  breakfast, 
and  started  off  about  eight.  Ahce  was  very  nervous  about  the 
road,  and  walked  a  good  part  of  the  way  to  the  summit  and  down 
the  other  side.  We  reached  the  crest  about  nine,  going  up  some 
places  worse  than   a   staircase,  and  just   before  reaching   the   top, 

through  a  deep  and 
crooked  gorge  not 
wide  enouo^h  for 
two  animals  to  pass. 
I  saw  here  the  use 
of  the  brass  slip- 
per-shaped stirrups. 
In  turning  sharp 
angles,  my  feet 
were  often  pressed 
against  the  stones 
at  my  sides,  and 
without  these  stir- 
rups the  barefooted 
riders  would  have 
their  feet  injured. 
We  rode  along  the 
ridge  for  a  few 
yards,  and  then  be- 
gan the  descent. 
At  one  place  the  crest  was  barely  ten  feet  wide,  and  fell  off  abruptly 
on  each  side  for  several  hundred  feet.  From  this  point  the  view 
was  grand.  Through  the  clouds  across  to  the  west  we  caught 
glimpses  of  the  perpetual  snow  on  the  Peak  of  Tolima  and  the  snow 
fields  of  the  Paramo  del  Ruis.  To  our  left,  to  the  southeast,  lay 
Guaduas  in  the  valley  below  us.  It  looked  very  near,  but  we  were 
two  and  a  half  hours  in  reaching  it.  We  went  obliquely  down  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  and  found  the  road  not  so  bad  as  on  the  other 


"  A    DEEP    AND    CROOKED    GORGE." 


THE  MULE  ROAD   AND   GUADUAS. 


95 


side  except  at  one  place  near  the  foot  of  the  descent,  where  it  ran 
over  a  hard  stone  lying  in  strata,  which  sloped  in  the  same  direction 
as  the  surface  of  the  soil,  so  it  was  like  riding-  along  on  a  roof  with 
no  foothold  for  our  animals. 

Alice,  in  her  nervousness  from  loss  of  sleep  and  from  thinking 
about  the  road  ahead  of  us,  had  not  eaten  anything  before  leaving 
Consuelo,  and  was  now  feeling  faint  from  hunger,  so  we  stopped  at 
an  inn  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  tried  to  get  something  to 
eat.  I  asked  in  succession  for  eggs,  bread,  coffee,  plantains,  rice, 
etc.,  until  I  had  exhausted  my  vocabulary,  but  received  the  same 


ROADSIDE    INN    NEAR   GUADUAS. 


answer  to  all  my  requests,  "  No  hay  "  (there  is  none),  so  we  had  to 
push  on. 

From  this  point  for  about  two  miles  the  road  ran  o\ev  compara- 
tively level  ground,  crossing  two  little  streams  on  the  way.  The 
land  was  cultivated  in  places,  and  there  were  on  either  side  of  the 
road  a  number  of  little  huts  surrounded  by  small  groves  of  orange- 


96 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


PLAZA    AND    CATHEDRAL   AT    GTJADUAS. 


trees,  coffee  plants,  and  plantains.  As  we  entered  the  town,  the 
road  became  a  narrow  paved  street  with  a  gutter  of  running  water 
in  the  centre,  and  just  as  the  land  began  to  rise  to  meet  the  second 
range  of  mountains,  we  came  out  into  the  principal  square,  the  Plaza 
de  la  Constitucion.  This  was  a  large  paved  square  with  a  fountain 
in  the  centre.  On  the  eastern  side  was  the  cathedral,  and  on  the 
three  remaining  sides  were  various  stores  and  public  buildings,  the 
greater  part  of  them  of  two  stories  in  height.  About  the  centre  of 
the  row  of  houses  on  the  northern  side  was  the  only  hotel  in  the 
place.  It  Avas  of  two  stories,  facing  the  plaza,  the  lower  front  rooms 
being  used  as  a  store,  and  the  one  large  room  above  as  the  recep- 
tion or  sitting-room.  Back  of  this  was  a  square  courtyard,  and 
farther  back  a  second.  The  rear  of  the  house  overhung  a  swift 
running  brook.     The  entrance  was  through  a  narrow  passageway 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADUAS. 


97 


which  was  paved  with  small  brown  and  hlack  cobblestones  arranged 
in  a  very  gracefnl  arabesque  pattern.  This  opened  into  the  first 
court,  whence  a  staircase  led  up  to  the  second  floor.  All  of  the 
back  rooms  on  the  lower  floor  were  used  as  storerooms  and  stables, 
and  above  were  the  bedrooms.  The  dining-room  was  in  the  portion 
separating  the  two  courts.  It  was  with  a  sensation  of  great  relief 
that  we  rode  in    through  the  passageway  and  dismounted.      Upon 


OUR    HOTEL    AT    fiUADUAS.    FROM   THE    PLAZA. 


asking  for  the  proprietor,  we  found  that  he  and  his  wife  had  gone 
oft'  to  take  a  bath  in  some  stream  near  the  town,  and  they  did  not 
return  until  towards  sundown.  There  was  an  entire  lack  of  system 
and  order  in  the  house,  and  things  seemed  just  to  run  themselves, 
but  after  a  while  we  managed  to  get  some  rooms,  and  in  about  an 
hour  and  a  half  we  had  some  eggs  and  coffee.  Our  rooms  were 
perfectly  plain,  and  with  no  other  furniture  than  canvas  cots.  After 
trying  to  rest  awhile,  Cabell  and  I  went  out  for  a  short  walk  to  look 
around.     We  saw  a  good  many  birds,  flycatchers,  swallows,  turkey- 


98 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 


buzzards,  black  vultures,  anis,  and  flocks  of  the  little  blue-rumped 
parrakeets.  Some  of  the  swallows  that  Ave  saw  were  somewhat  like 
our  purple  martin,  a  little  smaller  and  not  so  brightly  colored,  and 
they  had  their  nests  under  the  curved  tiles  of  the  roofs. 

The  town  is  larger  than  Honda  and  is  spread  out  over  compar- 
atively level  ground.     The  houses   are   of  the  usual  type,  though 
many  are  roofed  with  tiles  instead  of  thatch.     Everything  seemed 
dull  and  sleepy  except  the  cathedral.     During  our  stay  some  trav- 
eling       missionaries 
were      visitino-      the 
place,  and  the  church 
^^^^  bells    were    jangling 

from     morning     till 


nioht,     and 


were 


crowds 
in    and 


out  all  day  long. 
The  valley  is  fertile 
and  the  clmiate  de- 
lightful, the  temper- 
ature far  cooler  than 
at  Honda,  and  blank- 
ets are  needed  at 
night.  Guaduas  is 
said  to  be  about 
3,400  feet  above  the 
sea. 

I  was  struck  with 
the  o-reat  numbers  of 
women  of  the  poorer 
class  suffering  from 
goitre.  Hardly  one  in  five  of  the  middle-aged  women  was  free  from 
it,  and  many  of  the  men  were  also  sufferers.  Some  have  attributed 
this  disease  to  the  drinking  of  water  from  melted  snow  of  the  snow- 
clad  peaks,  but  hardly  within  a  week's  journey  of  Guaduas  could 


GOITRK. 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND    GUADUAS.  99 

such  water  be  found.  Others  have  attributed  it  to  Hving  at  high 
altitudes,  but  there  are  many  people  living  in  higher  regions  than 
Guaduas  who  are  not  affected.  In  Guaduas  I  foinul  that  the  women 
were  more  affected  than  the  men,  especially  the  women  of  the 
laboring  class.  The  carrying  of  heavy  burdens  partly  supported 
bv  a  band  passing  across  the  forehead  necessitates  a  tension  in  the 
muscles  of  the  neck  and  throat  which  may  have  some  influence  in 
producing  the  enlargement.  So  accustomed  to  it  are  the  people 
here  that  (I  was  told)  they  even  regard  the  goitre  as  a  mark  of  per- 
fection, and  those  who  do  not  have  it  are  considered  as  departing 
from  the  normal. 

I  also  saw  many  children  Avith  some  of  the  nails  missing  from 
their  toes,  and  was  told  that  this  was  caused  by  neglecting  to  pick 
out  the  "  chigoes,"  or  "  nigoes,"  as  they  are  sometimes  called. 
These  little  vermin  burrow  under  the  nail  and  deposit  their  eggs 
in  a  sac.  This  can  be  easily  picked  out  with  a  needle,  but  if 
neglected  until  the  eggs  hatch  they  produce  ugly  sores,  sometimes 
attended  by  loss  of  the  nail. 

When  the  proprietor  finally  returned,  to  our  surprise  we  found 
that  he  was  a  Virginian,  a  Mr.  David  Bain,  who  had  been  out  in 
Colombia  for  over  twenty  years,  and  who  boasted  of  being  even 
more  indolent  than  the  natives.  Upon  learning  that  Ave  also  were 
Virginians,  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  make  us  more  comfortable, 
and  gave  Alice  and  myself  the  room  over  the  entrance,  Avhich  had 
the  advantage  of  having  a  AvindoAv  facing  on  the  plaza.  The  hotel 
was  once  a  private  dwelling,  and  must  have  belonged  to  a  person  of 
relatively  considerable  Avealth.  The  floors  Avere  paved  with  a  large 
coarse  tile,  as  thick  as  our  brick,  but  about  ten  inches  square. 
These  Avere  warped,  and  had  Avide  cracks  betAveen  them  which  Avere 
strongholds  for  innumerable  fleas.  In  going  over  the  house,  I  no- 
ticed at  one  place,  Avhere  the  plaster  had  fallen  off,  that  the  laths, 
Avhich  were  of  split  reeds,  Avere  fastened  to  the  joists  by  being  tied 
Avitli  a  slender  A^ine,  and  not  nailed  as  ours  are. 

At  night,  as  I  Avas  feeling  no  better,  I  found  the  doctor  of  the 


100 


A   FLYIXG    TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 


place,  who  gave  me  a  prescription  of  ipecac,  chalk,  and  opium. 
The  night  was  cool,  and  we  would  have  rested  well  except  for  the 
multitude  of  fleas  that  fairly  devoured  us.  We  spent  a  wakeful 
night  and  were  fearfully  bitten. 

Tuesday,  July  5,  1892.  I  was  worse  this  morning,  having 
slight  symptoms  of  dysentery,  so  sent  again  for  the  doctor,  who 
gave  me  some  calomel,  after  which  I  kept  on  the  bed  all  day  and 
spent  the  time  reading  a  Spanish  edition  of  the  "  Scientific  Ameri- 
can." In  the  afternoon  Cabell  went  out  with  his  gun,  and  later 
returned  with  some  birds,  among  which  were  six  large  humming- 
birds, all  of  the  same  species,  but  different  from  any  that  we  had 

met  so  far.  They  were 
large,  the  males  brilliant 
green  above,  the  throat 
and  breast  black  with  an 
edging  of  deep  blue,  the 
tail  a  rich  purple  bronze, 
a  white  downy  puff  on 
the  belly,  and  a  white 
speck  back  of  the  eye. 
The  female  was  similar, 
but  below  was  white  with 
a  black  band  down  the 
centre  of  the  throat  and 
breast  [Lamporms  nicjricoUls).  These  he  had  found  feeding  on 
the  scarlet  blossoms  of  a  lara^'e  tree  near  the  town.  He  also  brouii'ht 
in  a  green-naped  pigeon,  like  the  one  that  I  had  killed  on  the  river, 
and  a  woodpecker  about  the  size  of  our  yellow-bellied,  but  colored 
somewhat  like  the  red-bellied.  Its  head,  throat,  and  below  were 
ash-buff,  the  centre  of  the  belly  and  back  of  the  head  washed  with 
red,  back  closely  barred  with  black  and  white,  wings  and  two  cen- 
tral tail-feathers  black  and  white,  remaining  tail-feathers  black  with 
white  tips,  and  rump  white  {Cenhirus  tei^rlcolor). 
It  was  clear  and  warm. 


LAMPOKNIS    VIOLICAUDA. 

(From  Elliot.) 


J  GKeulemarLS   del. 


EUPSYCHORTYX  LEUCOTIS  ,  Cn„J^l 
^Mr.  It  e  -  e  ar  eoL  Partri  dg  e . 


MTrcterruBros.  Chromo  litK.Londor 


Bancroft  Librar/ 


THE   MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADUAS.  101 

Wednesday,  July  6,  1892.     I  felt  a  little  better,  but  was    still 
unable  to  eat  anything,  and  stayed  in  bed  all  day. 

Thursday,  July  7,  1892.  I  felt  worse  in  the  morning  and  sent 
again  for  the  doctor,  but  was  told  that  he  had  gone  away  the  day  be- 
fore and  would  be  back  in  "  about  a  week."  I  was  feeling  pretty 
blue  over  this  news  when  my  brother  came  in  to  say  that  an  English 
gentleman  stopping  in  the  hotel,  a  Mr.  George  Child  from  Bogota, 
on  his  way  to  Honda,  learning  of  my  sickness  and  of  the  fact  that 
there  was  now  no  doctor  in  the  town,  had  kindly  offered  me  a  rem- 
edy which  he  had  with  him,  "  chlorodyne."  Within  ten  minutes 
after  taking  the  first  dose  I  began  to  feel  better,  and  from  this  point 
I  recovered  rapidly.  Cabell  made  some  l)eef  tea  for  me  later  in  the 
day,  which  was  very  strengthening.  In  the  afternoon  he  went  out 
with  his  gun  for  a  little  while  and  returned  with  quite  a  collection 
of  birds.  Among  them  were  a  pair  of  cardinals,  an  ani  like  the 
one  killed  in  Barranquilla,  and  a  hawk  rather  smaller  than  our 
Cooper's  hawk,  beak  horn-blue  and  black,  eyes,  feet,  cere,  and  skin  of 
face  yellow,  above  plumbeous,  the  tail  black  barred,  the  rump  white 
with  black  bars,  the  primaries  chestnut,  black  barred,  under  coverts 
finely  marked  with  chestnut  arroAvs,  below  plumbeous  turning  to' 
rusty,  breast  and  belly  closely  barred,  the  bars  growing  smaller 
towards  the  vent,  and  thighs  closely  barred  with  rusty  [Rupornls 
magnirostr'is).  The  natives  called  this  a  "  garrapatero,"  or  tick- 
eater,  but  they  apply  the  same  name  to  the  milvago  and  to  the  anis. 
He  also  brought  back  a  tanager  of  the  usual  size,  and  with  a  beak 
much  like  that  of  our  summer  redbird,  uniform  blue-black  with 
white  shoulders  and  under  wing-coverts  { Tuchyphonus  7nelaleucus), 
a  little  ground  dove,  a  blue-rumped  parrakeet,  and  a  pair  of  par- 
tridges, both  males,  about  the  size  and  shape  of  our  "  bob- white." 
Their  back,  wings,  and  tail  were  very  like  those  of  our  bird,  top  of 
head  huffy  and  black,  with  a  recurved  crest  of  clay-colored  feathers, 
chin,  forehead,  and  ear-coverts  whitish,  throat,  stripe  above  eye,  and 
malar  stripe  rufous,  breast  mottled  black,  white,  and  rufous,  the 
rufous  prevailing  on  the  lower  breast  (£!((j)f/si/chortt/x  leucotis). 


102  A    FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

Towards  evening  I  was  feeling  very  much  better,  so  I  went  in  to 
the  supper-table,  though  I  confined  myself  to  beef  tea.  I  enjoyed 
conversation  with  Mr.  Child,  as  he  was  well  informed  about  the 
country.  Whilst  we  were  at  the  table,  Mr.  Millican,  that  energetic 
collector  of  orchids,  came  into  the  hotel.  He  was  just  on  his  way 
to  Honda  with  a  consignment  of  plants,  which  he  was  going  to  ship 
to  Enofland,  and  then  return  at  once  to  his  collectina;-oTound. 
About  eleven  o'clock  that  night  I  heard  quite  an  uproar,  and  upon 
inquiry  found  that  he  had  unfortunately  uttered  some  criticism 
about  the  hotel,  which  reached  the  ears  of  the  landlady,  and  she 
was  so  incensed  that  she  immediately  turned  him  and  his  servant 
out  into  the  street,  driving  out  his  mules,  and  throwing  their  sad- 
dles out  of  the  door  after  them. 

It  was  clear  and  hot  during  the  day,  but  delightfully  cool  at 
night.     The  fleas,  however,  entirely  prevented  our  sleeping. 

Friday,  July  8,  1892.  I  felt  much  better,  but  still  stayed  in  or 
near  the  hotel  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  confined  myself  to  a 
beef -tea  diet.  At  breakfast  I  thought  that  I  would  try  a  soft-boiled 
Q:^^ ;  but  when  I  cracked  it  into  my  plate,  it  was  not  done,  so  I 
thought  then  that  I  would  have  it  scrambled  ;  and,  to  hurry  it  up, 
I  took  it  out  to  the  kitchen  myself.  When  I  had  explained  what  I 
wanted  to  the  cook,  —  a  dirty  old  Indian,  —  she  took  my  plate  and 
scooped  up  the  half-done  egg  in  her  hand,  and  transferred  it  thus 
to  her  pan  ;  so  I  changed  my  mind  about  wanting  egg  after  all. 
Speaking  of  this  reminds  me  that  in  Guaduas,  and  in  other  places 
in  Colombia,  they  call  scrambled  eggs  "  pericos,"  which  means, 
literally,  little  parrots ;  but  why  they  are  thus  called  I  could  not 
find  out.  The  kitchen  of  our  hotel  was  peculiar.  It  was  a  large 
room,  without  fireplace,  stove,  or  chimney.  Along  two  sides  ran  a 
built-up  ledge  of  stone,  much  like  the  hearth  in  a  country  black- 
smith's shop.  On  this  all  the  cooking  was  done,  a  dozen  little  fires 
being  built  at  intervals.  All  of  the  earthenware  utensils  made 
in  the  country  have  round  bottoms  and  no  legs,  so  they  cannot 
be   made  of  themselves  to  stand  upright,  but  three  round  cobble- 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADUAS. 


103 


stones  must  be  placed  around  the  fire,  and  the  vessel  placed  on 
them. 

I  thought  it  best  to  have  my  drinking-water  boiled  whilst  I  was 
sick,  so  purchased  an  earthenware  jar  for  the  purpose  ;  but  I  had 
great  trouble  in  the  matter.  At  one  time,  as  soon  as  the  water 
boiled  it  was  taken  by  the  servants  to  wash  dishes ;  at  another  time, 
when  I  asked  about  it,  the  cook,  to  see  how  hot  the  water  was,  put 
her  hand  into  it. 

I  was  also  occupied  for  a  portion  of  the  day  in  trying  to  destroy 


MARKKT    IN    PLAZA    AT    GUADUAS. 


some  of  the  fleas  in  our  room.  I  purchased  a  pound  of  crystallized 
carbolic  acid,  with  which  I  made  a  strong  solution,  and  scrubbed 
the  floor  with  a  broom,  being  careful  to  let  the  liquid  run  into  the 
cracks ;  but  at  night  we  were  bitten  as  severely  as  before.     Every 


104 


A   FLYING    TFiIP    TO    THE   TROPICS. 


morning  our  white  blankets  were  found  full  of  them.  They  creep 
into  the  wool  as  they  would  were  it  growing  on  an  animal's  back. 
The  few  dogs  that  I  saw  around  Guaduas  were  abject-looking 
creatures,  and  appeared  as  if  life  w^ere  a  burden  to  them.  The 
most  of  them  were  hairless.     They  are  not  only  devoured  by  fleas, 


II 

1 

11 

M 

^ 

ito 

^       .\ 

m 

F 

F  -  -mS^^^m                          ' 

M 

aUHj 

V  • 

^»M 

wSI^^^ 

A    PACK-OX    AT    GUADUAS. 


but  there  are  other  vermin  which  burrow  under  the  skin,  like  the 
"  wolf  "  in  our  rabbit.  Cattle  suffer  in  the  same  way,  and  we  saw 
some  mules  and  horses  with  one  ear  gone,  due  to  the  attack  of  some 
insect. 

This  was  market-day,  and  the  plaza  was  crowded.  I  walked 
around  to  see  what  was  going  on,  and  to  take  some  views  with  my 
camera.  There  was  the  usual  assortment  of  fruits  and  vegetables 
for  sale  in  the  market,  and  nothing  remarkable  except  that  at  one 
place  I  saw  unborn  pigs  exposed  for  sale.     This,  I  thought,  was 


THE  ROAD  MULE  AND   GUADUAS. 


105 


rather  getting  ahead  of  us  in  our  dish,  sucking  pig.  Salt,  of  which 
the  government  has  the  monopoly,  was  Aveighed  out  in  little  scales 
as  carefully  as  a  druggist  weighs  his  medicines.  The  duty  on  salt 
is  about  three  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  and  in  Guaduas  it  was 
sold  at  ten  cents  per  pound.  Beef  is  very  good  here,  and  cattle 
are  butchered  every  morning.  The  hides,  which  are  exported  in 
large  quantities,  are  prepared  by  simply  stretching  them  out  with 
pegs  over  the  ground,  hair  side  down,  but  clear  by  about  ten  inches. 
When  dry,  they  are  folded  up  into  squares  about  the  size  of  a  coffee- 
sack,  and  then  tied  up  into  bales. 

A  good  deal  of  the  produce  from  the  neighborhood  was  brought 
in  on  the  backs  of  bullocks.  They  are  said  to  be  even  more 
sure-footed  than  the  mules,  though  slower.  Such  things  as  fruit, 
vegetables,  earthenware  vessels,  etc.,  are  put  into  purse-like  bags 
of  a  coarse  netting,  and  then  loaded  on  the  pack-animal.  (See 
page  88.) 

In  the  afternoon  Cabell  went  out  with  his  gun,  and  later  Alice 
and  I  went  out  a  short  ways  to  meet  him 
on  his  return.  He  had  been  to  some  flow- 
ering trees  near  a  coffee  plantation  along 
the  road,  and  })rouglit  back  eleven  hum- 
ming-birds of  eight  different  species.  They 
were,  first,  a  pair  of  the  large  black- 
throats  (Lampornis  nUjrlcoUls).  Sec- 
ond, a  pair,  male  and  female,  but  slightly 
smaller ;  the  male  green  above  and  below, 
with  broad,  black  tail-feathers  and  con- 
spicuous white  plume-like  under  tail-co- 
verts ;  the  female  Avas  similar,  but  had 
more  gray  in  the  green  below  {Ilijimrop- 
tila  huffoni).  Third,  a  pair,  golden  bronze 
above  with  a  greenish  tinge,  the  central 
tail-feathers  the  same  ;  the  others  chestnut,  Avith  purplish  bronze 
and  white  tips,   below  gray,   with   a   darker  patch    on    the   throat 


HYPUROPTILA    BITFFONI. 

(From  EUiut.) 


106 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 


DAMOPHILA  JULIA. 

(From  Elliot.) 


(young  of  CkrysoktTnjns  moschitics).  Fourth,  a  rufous-tailed  hum- 
ming-bird, like  those  that  we  had  gotten  on  the  river  (Amazilia 
fuscicaudatu).  Fifth,  similar  to  the  last,  but  tail  blue-black  and 
forehead  dirty  blue  {Ainazllia  ci/anifrons).  Sixth,  small,  brilliant 
emerald  green  above  and  below,  and  tail  blue- 
black  [ChJorostilhon  angusti2:)ennis).  Sev- 
enth, similar  in  size  and  shape  to  the  last,  but 
tail  different,  and  belly  very  deep  metallic 
blue  {Damojihila  jiilia).  Eighth,  very  mi- 
nute, greenish  above,  white  collar  and  flanks, 
below  rufous,  tail  chestnut,  Avitli  dark  green 
subterminal  bar  and  a  few  metallic  amethyst 
feathers  in  a  dusky  throat  (young  of  Aces- 
trura  heliodori).  The  total  length  of  this 
last  was  just  two  and  a  quarter  inches.  He  also  shot  an  owl  about 
the  size  of  our  short-eared  owl,  but  Avith  long  ears,  the  plumage 
more  rusty  than  that  of  our  long-eared  owl  and  the  feet  more  bare 
{Bubo  mexicanus).  This  he  had  found  roosting  in  some  thick 
coffee  plants. 

At  night  two  friends  of  Mr.  Bain  came  in  and  gave  us  some 
excellent  music.  They  played  on  two  instruments  shaped  like 
guitars,  but  both  strung  with  four  double  strings  like  a  mandolin. 
The  smallest,  which  Avas  very  small,  was  called  a  "  tiple ; "  the 
other,  about  the  size  of  a  guitar,  was  called  a  "  bandola."  The 
performers  excel  in  keeping  time. 

I  saw  to-day  a  new  fruit,  a  "  badea."  It  was  the  size  and  shaj^e 
of  a  small  pumpkin,  and  when  cut  open  its  flesh  made  the  resem- 
blance stronger.  In  the  cavity  inside  were  many  seeds,  each  one 
surrounded  by  a  pleasantly  acid  pulp,  and  this  was  the  part  that 
was  eaten.  There  are  pomegranates  in  Guaduas ;  but  they  do  not 
come  to  the  same  perfection  as  at  other  places.  I  also  saw  here  for 
the  first  time  another  fruit,  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much,  and 
expected  to  find  delicious,  the  "  granadilla,"  or  little  pomegranate, 
and  to  my  surprise  recognized  an  old  friend,  the   "  may  pop  "   of 


THE  MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADUAS. 


107 


our  Southern  States,  the  fruit  of  the  common  passion-flower,  which 
is  so  abundant  in  our  corn-iiekis  in  the  early  fall.  It  owes  its 
Spanish  name  to  the  fact  that,  like  the  pomegranate,  the  portion 
that  is  eaten  is  the  pulp  around  the  seeds.  It  was  my  experience 
to  be  greatly  disappointed  in  the  fruits  of  the  tropics ;  but  as  this 
disappointment  was  only  in  those  fruits  which  I  had  never  before 
tasted,  it  may  be  that  in  time  my  taste  would  have  been  educated 
up  to  the  point  of  liking  them.  The  oranges,  jiine-apples,  and 
bananas  Avere  incom- 
parably superior  to  any 
that  we  get,  and  I  be- 
came in  time  very  fond 
of  the  nispero  ;  but 
after  once  tastino-  the 
mango  I  had  an  aver- 
sion to  it  amoantino'  to 
disgust,  and  were  I  to 
describe  the  fl.avors  of 
the  many  other  fruits 
that  I  tried,  I  would 
say  that  they  varied 
from  that  of  a  pump- 
kin to  that  of  our  paw- 
paw.    There  being  no 

frost  in  this  climate,  some  plants  which  regularly  die  every  winter 
with  us,  grow  here  indefinitely.  Such  are  the  Pahna  chrisfi,  or 
castor-oil  plant,  which  becomes  a  fair-sized  tree,  and  cotton.  I  saw 
several  cotton  plants  which  might  almost  be  called  small  trees ; 
however,  the  bolls  were  very  small,  and  produced  an  inferior  cotton. 
The  principal  forage  for  horses  and  mules  is  young  sugar-cane, 
which  is  choj^ped  up  with  a  machete  into  little  pieces  of  an  inch  in 
length.  The  animals  are  very  fond  of  it ;  and  it  seems  to  suit 
them,  for,  notwithstanding  their  hard  labor,  they  all  look  sleek  and 
in  o()od  condition. 


TIKEI)    OUT. 


108 


A   FLYING   TBIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 


Saturday,  July  3,  1892.  Cabell,  Alice,  and  myself  were  up  early 
this  morning,  and,  after  having  some  eggs  and  coffee,  went  back 
along  the  Honda  road  for  about  a  mile  to  a  coffee  plantation,  a 
place  called  "  Tuscola,"  where  we  had  obtained  permission  to  shoot, 
and  where  Cabell  had  found  the  humming-birds  on  the  day  before. 
When  we  reached  the  place,  we  found  on  the  roadside  a  tree  in 
bloom,  and  around  this  some  humming-birds  were  feeding.  The 
first  one  that  I  saw  and  shot  proved  to  be  a  new  one,  but  in  poor 
plumage.  It  had  a  long,  curved  beak,  the  lower  mandible  yellow. 
Above  it  was  dull  green ;  be- 
low dusky,  mark  above  eye 
and  ear  coverts  black ;  a  Avhit- 
ish  superciliary  streak.  The 
two  central  tail-feathers  were 
prolonged  and  pointed,  their 
tips  white  and  bases  dusky 
{Phcetliorn  is  su2:)erclUosus). 
From  here  we  went  up  into 
the  plantation,  which  we  found 
grown  up  into  a  perfect  jun- 
gle. It  consisted  of  coffee, 
orange,  and  cocoa  trees  planted  together  ;  but  they  were  all  shaded 
by  large  forest-trees,  and  interwoven  so  thickly  as  to  be  almost  im- 
penetrable. We  found  a  cool,  shady  spot  near  a  little  trickling 
spring,  and  Alice  arranged  herself  comfortably  with  a  book,  whilst 
we  hunted  around  within  fifty  yards.  As  we  drew  near  some  trees 
with  a  white,  fringy  blossom,  we  could  see  humming-birds  darting 
about  among  them,  and  could  hear  their  humming  and  buzzing  at 
quite  a  distance.  The  first  one  that  I  shot  was  a  perfect  gem,  — 
by  far  the  prettiest  that  we  had  yet  seen,  —  a  male,  ruby  and  topaz 
[Clirysolamjns  moschitus),  in  perfect  plumage.  Its  body  was 
brownish  green  ;  tail  rich  chestnut ;  head  above  ruby ;  gorget 
brilliant,  golden  yellow.  Later,  I  killed  two  young  males,  similar 
to  those  that  Cabell  had  shot  the  day  before,   but  having  a  few 


PH^THORNIS    SUPERCILIOSUS. 

(From  Elliot.) 


THE  MULE   BOAD  AND   GUADUAS. 


109 


CHltYSOLAMPIS  MOSCHITUS. 

(Froiii  Elliot.; 


ruby  feathers  on  the  crown  and  a  few  topaz  ones  on  the  throat. 
Thong-h  we  saw  great  numbers  of  hnniniino-birds,  we  had  to  select 
our  shots  carefully,  for  if  one 
fell  in  the  thick  underbrush, 
it  was  a  hopeless  task  to 
look  for  it.  We  found  that 
we  had  either  to  wait  until 
they  were  over  an  open  space 
or  else  shoot  them  immedi- 
ately overhead,  so  that  they 
woidd  drop  at  our  feet,  and 
even  then  we  lost  a  good  many. 
A    third    new    kind    that    I 

killed  was  a  small  bird,  green  above,  green  and  white  below^,  chin, 
spot  back  of  eye,  and  flanks  white,  and  gorget  amethyst.  Its  tail 
was  peculiar,  black,  and  forked,  the  two  outer  feathers  on  each  side 
being  reduced  almost  to  a  bare  stem  [Acestrura  inidsanti). 

In  the  grove  we  picked  some  of  the  most  delicious  oranges  that 
I  ever  tasted.  We  started  back  to  the  hotel  shortly  after  ten  o'clock, 
and  on  our  w^ay  stopped  to  fish  in  the  little  stream  that  we  crossed. 
We  used  grasshoppers  for  bait,  and  in  a  few  minutes  caught  a  half 

dozen  small  fish,  shad-like  in  general 
shape,  but  with  the  fleshy  dorsal  fin  of 
a  trout.  Their  jaws  were  also  much 
heavier  than  those  of  a  shad,  and  in 
the  lower  jaw  in  front  were  a  pair  of 
strong  and  sharp  teeth  {Chdravln  s'j).). 
We  broke  the  only  hook  that  we  had 
with  us,  so  had  to  stop  fishing. 

In   the  afternoon  Cabell  and  myself 

returned  to  the  coft'ee  plantation,  and 

got   seven  or  eight   humming-birds.      It   was  close   cloudy  at  this 

time,  and  the  light  under  the  trees  was  barely  more  than  twilight, 

so  we  lost  more  of  the  lunnming-lnrds  than  we  got.     I  myself  lost  ' 


ACESTRrUA  MULSVNTI. 
(From  Elliot.) 


110 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO   THE    TROPICS. 


nine.  We  got  in  all  to-day  twenty-one,  among  which  were  five 
males  of  the  ruby  and  topaz,  all  in  fine  plumage.  In  the  morning 
I  saw  flying  over  high  in  the  air  a  pair  of  fork-tailed  flycatchers 
[Jllh'uhis  tyrannus) ;  but  they  kept  on  out  of  sight  without  light- 
ing. We  saw  a  small  flock  of  partridges  ;  but  although  we  ran 
at  once  to  the  spot  where  they  lit,  we  did  not  succeed  in  flushing  a 
sinofle  one. 

I  noticed  all  through  the  coffee  plantation  a  number  of  little 
beaten  paths,  from  two  to  three  inches  wide,  and  perfectly  cleaned 
of  all  grass,  leaves,  twigs,  and  even  small  gravel.  They  looked  like 
the  impressions  left  on  a  grass  lawn  when  a  piece  of  timber  that  has 
been  lying  on  the  grass  for  six  months  or  more  is  taken  up.  A 
peculiarity   of    these    paths   was   that   even   when   they  passed  for 

several    yards    over 

.''T^£'    IW*1M1        the      out -cropping 

stone,  they  could 
still  be  plainly 
traced,  for  the  lich- 
ens and  dust  had 
been  cleaned  off  un- 
til it  looked  as  if  an 
attempt  had  been 
made  to  polish  the 
stone,  and  the  path 
was  liohter  colored 
than  the  adjacent  surface.  I  was  wondering  what  animal  had 
made  these,  when  I  came  upon  one  in  use.  Thousands  of  ants  were 
hurrying  along  in  opposite  directions,  those  going  in  one  direction 
being  empty  handed  (or  rather,  empty  jawed),  each  one  of  the  oth- 
ers carrying  held  up  edgewise  a  piece  of  leaf,  approximately  circu- 
lar in  outline,  and  about  the  size  of  one's  finger-nail.  The  ants 
were  a  little  smaller  than  our  large  black  wood-ant.  They  were  the 
leaf-cuttino-  ant,  described  by  Bates  in  his  "  Naturalist  on  the  Ama- 


SAUBA    OK    LEAF-CARHYING    ANT. 1.    WORKER-MINOR; 

2.    WORKER-MAJOR  ;    O.    SUBTERRANEAN-WORKER. 

(From  "Tlie  Naturalist  on  the  Amazon.") 


THE   MULE  ROAD  AND   GUADUAS. 


Ill 


zon."  I  later  found  their  hill.  It  was  about  a  foot  in  height,  but 
certanily  twenty  feet  in  circumference.  There  were  numerous  en- 
trances, and  their  highways  radiated  in  every  direction.  I  followed 
one  for  about  half  a  mile.  The  leaves  came  mainly  from  the  cott'ee 
plants. 

An  interesting  plant  here  is  the  guadua  [Guadua  kit i folia),  from 
which  the  place  derives  its  name.  This  is  what  I  have  spoken  of  as 
the  bamboo.  It  grows  in  graceful  feathery  clumps  and  reaches  a 
large  size.  I  saw  some  nearly  fifty  feet  in  height  and  as  thick  as  a 
man's  thigh.  It  sprouts  up  like  an  asparagus  plant,  that  is,  shoots  up 
a  large,  club-like  growth  which  does  not  put  out  leaves  or  branches 
until  it  reaches  a  good  height.  It  has  a  hundred  uses ;  many  uten- 
sils and  vessels  are  made  of  the  joints,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most 
universal  building  and  fencing  materials.  The  smaller  ones  make 
good  fishing-poles. 

At  the  supper-table  we  met  the  first  ill-mannered  person  whom 
we  had  thus  far  encountered  in  Colombia,  and  I  am  ashamed  to  have 
to  admit  that  he  was  an  American  drummer. 

We  spent  another  wakeful  night  tormented  by  the  fleas.  It  was 
clear  and  warm  in  the  morning,  but  close  cloudy  in  the  afternoon. 

Sunday,  July  10, 1892.  Ahce, 
Cabell,  and  myself  went  out  again 
early  this  morning  to  the  same 
place  to  which  we  had  gone  the 
day  before,  but  we  came  back 
soon.  We  got  twelve  humming- 
birds, but  there  were  no  new  ones 
among  them.  They  were  divided 
among  the  following  species :  five 
emerald  green  ones  {ChIo7'ostil- 
hon  angustipennis),  two  of  the 
small  emerald  o-reen  and  blue  ones 
{DamophUa  juJia),  one  of  the  smallest  kind  [Acestrura  heliodorl), 
one  with  an  amethyst  gorget  (Acestritra  midsanti),  two  young  ruby 


JAGUAH    SKULL. 


112 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO   THE    TROPICS. 


and   topaz,   and   one  of  the  large  black-tliroated  ones  {Lamporn's 
nUjricoUls). 

In  the  afternoon  we  were  bnsy  getting  our  things  together,  as  Ave 

ly.     The   climate    of 


concluded   to   start  back   on   the   following  dii 


Guaduas  is  delightful,  and  the  place  promises  well,  but  Alice  is  get- 
ting worn  out  by  loss  of  sleep  and  by  poor  food.  I  arranged  about 
our  mules  and  two  peons  to  accompany  us  and  bring  the  mules 
back.  Our  specimens  so  filled  a  trunk  now  that  I  had  to  purchase 
another  pataca.  In  the  little  shop  where  I  bought  the  pataca,  I  saw 
several  deerskins,  apparently  of  just  the  same  color  as  our  Virginia 
deer,  the  fawns  being  likewise  spotted,  and  the  skull  of  a  young 
jaguar  that  had  been  killed  not  very  far  from  Guaduas.     The  shop- 


THE   MULE  ROAD  AND    GUADUAS. 


113 


keeper,  seeing  that  I  was  interested  in  it,  insisted  njion  making  me 
a  present  of  it.  The  native  name  for  jaguar  is  "  tigre."  They  are 
said  to  be  especially  abundant  in  some  portions  of  the  Magdalena 
Valley.  They  are  heavier  and  more  stocky  than  a  leopard,  but 
otherwise  are  much  like  that  animal.  There  are  also  many  pumas 
in  Colombia,  and  I  saw  numbers  of  their  skins.  Mr.  Bain  wore  a 
handsome  pair  of  zamorras  made  from  a  pair  of  puma-skins  which 
had  come  from  near  the  snow  line  of  the  Paramo  del  Ruis.  The 
natives  call  the  i)uma  "  tigre  Colorado,"  red  tiger,  or  sometimes 
"  leon,"  lion. 

The  religious  ceremonies  which  had  been  going  on  all  during  our 
stay  culminated  late  in  the  afternoon  with  a  procession  around 
the   plaza.     Some   really  pretty  arches   were    erected    at  the   four 


RELIGIOUS    PROCESSION    AT    GUADUAS. 


114  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 

corners  of  the  square  and  covered  with  pahns  and  flowers.  The 
procession  was  formed  on  the  steps  of  the  cathedral  and  filed 
slowly  around  under  the  arches,  halting-  at  each  one  whilst  one  of 
the  priests  delivered  a  brief  sermon.  The  column  was  headed  by 
four  musicians,  these  were  followed  by  several  priests,  then  came  the 
communicants,  little  girls  from  five  to  ten  years  old  and  of  all 
colors.  They  were  dressed  mainly  in  white,  some  with  little  gauze 
wings,  as  if  to  represent  fairies  at  a  fancy  dress  ball,  and  all  wore 
flowers  in  the  hair.  Their  mothers  marched  on  either  side,  all 
dressed  in  black  with  a  black  shawl  over  their  heads,  and  bearino-  a 
candle.  After  the  girls  came  the  little  boys  carrying  small  banners, 
and  then  came  groups  of  men  bearing  on  their  shoulders  j^latf  orms 
with  wax  figures  of  the  Virgin,  Saint  Joseph,  and  other  saints.  The 
Virgin  wore  a  crown  and  dress  like  those  worn  by  Queen  Anne. 
One  of  the  saints  was  dressed  like  Charles  the  First.  The  houses 
facing  the  procession  were  made  gay  by  flags  and  lace  curtains 
draped  over  the  balconies. 

During  our  stay  in  Guaduas  several  detachments  of  soldiers 
passed  through  the  town  escorting  government  stores  from  the  river 
to  Bogota.  They  usually  rested  a  day  in  the  town,  and  spent  their 
time  whilst  there  sitting  in  the  shade  of  some  doorway  and  playing 
cards  on  a  poncho  spread  on  the  ground.  They  were  armed  with 
Remington  rifles,  but  apparently  knew  nothing  of  keeping  their 
weapons  in  order,  for  such  of  their  pieces  as  I  examined  looked  as 
if  sandpaper  and  fat  pork  were  the  cleaning  materials. 

I  approached  a  jDarty  playing  cards  on  the  hotel  stairs,  and  pick- 
ing up  a  cartridge-belt  examined  the  cartridges.  The  bullets  had 
all  been  drawn,  the  powder  sold,  and  the  bullets  then  put  back.  In 
some  cases  the  bullet  had  been  lost,  but  a  wooden  plug  answered 
every  purpose. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


BACK    TO    BARRANQUILLA. 


Monday,  July  11,  1892.     We  were  up  very  early,  but  owing  to 
the  usual  delays  did  not  get  oH:  until  half  past  seven.     Mr.  Bain 

insisted   upon   accompany- 
ing us  for  a  portion  of  the 
way.      Besides   our   riding 
mules,  we  had  three  bao-- 
gage   mules,   so   we   made 
quite  a  train. 
The   air  was 
fresh        and 
cool,  and  we 


DISMOUNTED    ONLY    FOH    THE    BAD    PORTION    ABOVE    CONSUELO." 


passed  without  trouble  the  bad  spots  in  the  road,  so  reached  the 
summit  in  ofood  time.  Alice  was  more  accustomed  to  the  road 
by  this  time,   so   she    dismounted  only  for  the  bad  portion  above 


116  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 

Consuelo.  I  carried  my  camera  under  my  arm,  and  took  various 
views  as  we  went  alonp-.  It  was  with  feelino-s  of  resret  that  I 
took  the  last  hackward  look  at  Guaduas,  as  we  turned  to  go  over 
the  crest.  Before  us  stretched  a  magnificent  view.  The  valley 
beneath  us  was  filled  with  clouds,  but  above  them  we  saw  the  glit- 
tering snow  of  Tolima  and  of  the  Paramo  del  Ruis.  I  tried  several 
views  from  this  point  Avith  my  camera,  but  much  to  my  disappoint- 
ment, when  the  plates  were  developed,  the  blue  sky  and  the  white 
peaks  both  came  out  white,  and  there  was  no  contrast  between  the 
two. 

At  Consuelo  we  said  good-by  to  Mr.  Bain,  and  waved  an  acknow- 
ledgment to  Don  Clemente's  "  feliz  viaje."  We  traveled  along  com- 
fortably as  far  as  Las  Cruces,  where  we  stopped  for  breakfast  and  to 
rest.  For  about  twenty-five  cents  w^e  got  some  bread,  rice,  and 
eggs,  all  nicely  cooked,  and  some  of  the  most  delicious  coffee  that 
I  ever  tasted.  From  this  point,  as  we  descended,  the  heat  increased 
until  it  became  almost  unbearable ;  however,  as  we  wished  to  reach 
Honda  before  night,  we  had  to  push  on,  as  the  ferry  stopped  run- 
ning at  six.  The  distance  from  Guaduas  to  Honda  is  some  sixteen 
miles,  and  we  were  traveling  for  about  seven  and  a  half  hours. 
The  latter  part  of  the  road  was  made  doubly  disagreeable  by  thick 
clouds  of  a  suffocating  dust  in  which  our  mules  sank  to  their  ankles 
at  every  step.  We  had  no  drinking  water  along  the  road,  and  all 
suffered  from  heat  more  or  less.  After  an  irritating  delay  at  the 
ferry  we  finally  got  across,  and  about  five  o'clock  I  w^as  relieved  by 
once  more  reaching  in  safety  Mr.  Bowden's  welcome  hotel.  Mr. 
Child,  who  had  preceded  us  from  Guaduas  by  several  days,  had 
engaged  good  rooms  for  us,  so  we  were  soon  comfortably  fixed. 
After  supper  Cabell  and  myself  took  a  short  walk  through  the  town, 
and  I  purchased  for  fifty  cents  a  very  pretty  tiger-cat's  skin. 

Shortly  after  passing  Las  Cruces,  as  we  were  riding  along  through 
a  parched  bit  of  scrubby  woods,  I  heard  a  loud  rustling  noise  as  if  a 
high  wind  were  approaching ;  but  in  a  short  while  I  discovered  that 
the  noise  was  made  by  an  immense  swarm  of  grasshop23ers  creeping 


BACK   TO   BARRANQUILLA.  117 

and  lioj^ping"  over  the  dry  leaves.  They  were  of  comparatively  large 
size,  yellow  with  a  black  stripe  down  the  back,  and  were  wingless, 
that  is,  their  wings  were  not  yet  developed.  The  noise  that  they 
made  could  be  heard  at  least  one  hundred  yards.  I  have  heard  in 
Florida  a  similar  noise  made  by  multitudes  of  fiddler  crabs  runninji^ 
over  the  dry  marshes,  but  the  noise  of  these  grasshoppers  was 
greater. 

At  another  point  on  the  road  Ave  passed  a  man  who  was  carrying 
with  him  a  half  dozen  game-cocks.  These  were  arranged  in  a  pecul- 
iar way,  so  as  to  be  carried  without  injury.  Each  was  furnished 
with  a  pair  of  trousers  of  cotton  cloth  into  the  legs  of  which  its 
legs  were  thrust.  The  part  corresponding  to  the  seat  was  brought 
up  and  buttoned  over  the  back,  securing  the  wings,  and  on  the  back 
a  looj)  was  sewn  by  which  the  cocks  were  suspended  from  the  sad- 
dle. They  were  thus  carried  in  a  natural  position  without  chafing 
and  without  being  able  to  strike  at  one  another.  It  was  clear  and 
hot. 

Tuesday,  July  12,  1892.  We  stayed  around  the  hotel  in  the 
morning,  and  later  went  for  a  short  walk  through  the  town,  calling 
on  our  way  upon  Mr.  Hallam.  As  Ave  came  back  I  bought  for  five 
dollars  at  a  saddler's  shop  a  very  large  and  handsome  jaguar-skin. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  Cabell  and  I  took  our  g-uns  and  went  out 
about  tAvo  miles  on  the  table-land  in  rear  of  the  toAvn.  We  saAv 
very  fcAv  birds.  The  land  is  hot  and  dry,  Avith  scanty  vegetation, 
and  promises  little.  On  our  way  out  an  iguana  about  three  feet 
long  ran  across  the  street  just  in  front  of  us,  and  scrambled  up 
amonof  some  vines  on  an  old  stone  Avail.  Cabell  shot  a  rufous 
ground  dove  {ColumhUjalllna  riifipennh)  of  the  same  kind  as  the 
one  that  we  obtained  in  Barranquilla.  We  saw  some  partridges, 
kingfishers  {C.  amazona),  flycatchers,  anis,  and  some  very  small 
finches,  but  hardly  anything  else.  We  saw  several  small  SAvarms 
of  the  same  kind  of  grasshoppers  that  we  had  seen  on  the  day 
before.  The  anis  Avere  feeding  on  them.  There  are  some  beauti- 
fully colored  grasshoppers  in  Colombia.     One  that  I   saw  several 


118  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 

times  was  an  almost  metallic  green  with  bright  scarlet  eyes,  legs, 
and  bead-like  markings,  looldng  like  a  jeweler's  design  in  emeralds 
and  rubies. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Honda  there  is  an  upright  cactus  which 
is  used  for  hedges  and  fences,  but  which  differs  from  the  one  used 
for  that  purpose  in  Curagao.  The  latter  is  approximately  circular 
in  cross  section,  but  the  former  is  star-shaped,  that  is,  it  has  a  small 
circular  core  but  wide  radiating  flanges,  thus  being  very  rigid  and 
at  the  same  time  lioht.  Near  Honda  I  also  saw  a  cactus  much  like 
the  prickly  pear,  but  its  lobes  were  perfectly  smooth  and  devoid  of 
thorns.     It  was  clear  and  intensely  hot. 

Wednesday,  July  13,  1892.  We  stayed  around  the  hotel  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  and  did  nothing  in  particular.  In  the  af- 
ternoon, Cabell  and  myself  walked  down  to  the  river  and  watched 
a  man  fish  for  a  while,  but  he  caught  nothing.  We  saw  in  an 
Indian's  hut  a  domesticated  bird  called  a  "  guacharaca."  It  was 
about  as  large  as  our  ruffed  grouse,  but  had  much  longer  tail, 
legs,  and  neck,  and  a  little  head  like  a  turkey's.  Its  plumage  was 
dark  without  distinctive  markings,  and  it  had  a  slight  gular  pouch. 
This  was  an  immature  bird.  The  name  "  guacharaca,"  given  to 
this  bird  from  its  call,  recalls  at  once  the  Mexican  bird  similarly 
named,  the  "  chachalaca."     It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Thursday,  July  14,  1892.  Cabell  and  myself  went  out  about 
six  this  morning  to  the  place  where  we  went  on  Tuesday.  We  had 
hardly  reajched  the  spot  when  we  saw  several  fork-tailed  flycatchers 
[Milmilus  tyrannus),  and  I  shot  a  pair,  male  and  female.  Their 
bodies  are  about  the  size  and  color  of  that  of  our  kingbird,  light 
gray  above,  the  head  blackish  with  a  concealed  yellow  patch.  Their 
flight  is  so  graceful  that  they  seem  to  float  through  the  air.  They 
perch  on  the  tops  of  small  bushes,  just  as  our  kingbird  does.  A 
little  later  Cabell  shot  a  new  dove,  a  male,  about  the  size  of  our 
Carolina  dove,  but  with  a  short  tail,  reddish,  the  under  tail-coverts 
reddish,  and  two  blue-black  streaks  on  each  side  of  the  head  {Ze- 
naida  ruficauda,  Bonaparte).      He  also    shot  a  pair  of  the  little 


BACK   TO  BARRANQUILLA. 


119 


FOKK-TAILED    FLYCATCHER    (mILVULUS    TYKANNUS). 


gi'ouiid  cloves,  and  later  I  killed  a  second  one  of  the  rufous-tailed 
doves,  also  a  male.  We  saw  a  covey  of  eio^lit  partridges;  but 
although  we  ran  in  upon  them  at  once,  we  flushed  but  one  and  did 
not  get  it.    We  were  much  troubled  to-day  by  a  sort  of  nettle  which 


120  A    FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

is  very  abundant  here.  It  has  large  leaves  covered  with  a  multitude 
of  hair-like  thorns,  which  prick  at  the  least  touch  and  produce  a 
burning  pain  Avhich  lasts  for  some  time,  and,  to  say  the  least,  is  very 
disagreeable.  The  heat  soon  became  so  oppressive  that  shortly  after 
eisrht  we  turned  back  and  reached  the  hotel  about  nine.  After 
breakfast  I  skinned  the  birds,  and  the  remainder  of  the  day  we 
spent  around  the  hotel.  An  Indian  boy  brought  to  the  hotel  for 
sale  a  fresh  fish  of  the  same  kind  as  the  small  ones  that  we  had 
caught  at  Guaduas,  but  this  one  was  about  four  pounds  in  weight. 
It  had  been  caught  in  the  river  in  front  of  the  town. 

We  received  some  letters  to-day,  the  first  that  had  reached  us 
since  our  departure.     It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Friday,  July  15,  1892.  We  stayed  around  the  hotel  all  day,  saw 
about  our  tickets  for  the  steamer  America  that  was  to  go  down  the 
river  next  day,  and  got  together  our  baggage.  At  Mr.  Hallam's 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  the  captain  of  our  boat.  Captain 
Bradford.  This  gentleman,  a  Georgian  by  birth,  a  graduate  of  the 
Naval  Academy,  and  an  officer  of  our  navy,  left  the  service  of  the 
United  States  to  side  with  the  Confederacy  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  late  civil  war,  and  upon  its  termination  settled  in  Colombia, 
where  for  the  last  twenty-five  years  he  has  run  upon  the  Magdalena 
River.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  and  we  found  in 
him  at  all  times  that  courteousness  which  is  so  delightful,  but  which 
we  now,  unfortunately,  so  rarely  meet.  I  should  advise  any  future 
travelers  on  the  Magdalena  to  make  inquiries  as  to  Avlien  the 
America  will  go  up  or  down,  and,  if  possible,  take  passage  on  her. 

It  was  clear  and  intensely  hot. 

Saturday,  July  16,  1892.  We  were  up  early  this  morning,  and 
soon  had  our  trunks  packed,  after  which  Cabell  and  I  went  out  to 
get  the  tickets  which  we  had  engaged  the  day  before.  The  fare 
for  the  down  trip,  owing  to  the  shorter  time  required,  is  only  two 
thirds  of  the  fare  up.  We  saw  a  very  large  iguana  in  one  of  the 
trees  overhanoino-  the  Guali  at  the  old  bridsfe.  In  the  same  tree 
I  saw  a  new  bird,  a  woodpecker  about  the  size  of  our  red-headed 


BACK  TO  BARRANQUILLA.  121 

woodpecker,  but  with  its  colors  distributed  like  those  of  Lewis's 
woodpecker.  Its  general  color  was  a  dark  sage-green,  its  cheeks 
white,  the  back  of  its  head  red.  I  did  not  see  its  under  parts.  This 
bird  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  identify  [Chloronerpes  sp.). 

We  had  our  breakfast  about  half  past  eleven,  and  afterwards 
went  down  to  the  station  to  take  the  train  which  was  to  leave  at 
one.  We  reached  the  station  about  twelve  minutes  ahead  of  time ; 
but  the  agent  had  gone  off  to  his  breakfast,  and  the  conductor 
positively  refused  to  allow  me  to  put  my  baggage  on  board.  I  tried 
every  argument,  offered  him  money,  represented  to  him  that  we  had 
purchased  our  tickets  for  the  steamer  which  was  to  sail  at  three 
o'clock,  and  that  there  was  no  other  train  until  the  next  day,  but 
my  trouble  was  for  nothing.  At  last  I  was  so  incensed  that  I  did 
what  I  should  have  done  at  the  outset,  that  is,  I  began  to  put  the 
baggage  on  board  myself ;  but  one  of  the  loafing  officials,  seeing 
that  I  had  nearly  everything  on,  gave  the  signal  to  start,  and  the 
train  pulled  out  about  three  minutes  ahead  of  time.  I  hardly  knew 
what  to  do  ;  but  as  Alice  and  Cabell  were  on  board,  I  jumped  on 
also,  and  called  out  to  some  one  on  the  platform  to  look  after  the 
trunks  that  were  left.  We  were  an  hour  and  a  half  in  reachinsf 
Yeguas,  and  by  that  time  I  had  cooled  down  a  little.  From  here  I 
telegraphed  back  to  Honda,  and  finally  got  orders  for  the  engine 
to  return  for  my  trunks,  and  Captain  Bradford  secured  permission 
to  hold  his  boat  for  me.  I  went  back  with  the  enoine  and  flat  car 
in  thirty-two  minutes,  and  returned  in  twenty-nine.  The  road  was 
so  rickety  that  I  was  in  constant  dread  that  Ave  would  jump  the 
track.  For  this  special  engine  I  had  to  pay  thirty-five  dollars  in 
paper. 

As  soon  as  I  reached  Yeguas  our  trunks  were  put  on  board,  and 
the  steamer  started.  We  went  up  the  river  first  for  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile,  then  turned  and  came  down,  running  with  the  cur- 
rent like  an  express  train.  Captain  Bradford  had  selected  very 
comfortable  staterooms  for  us,  and  did  everything  in  his  power  to 
make  our  trip  a  pleasant  one.     The  America  is  one  of  the   mail 


122  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 

steamers,  and  is  ran  on  quite  a  different  plan  from  the  Enrique. 
We  made  very  few  stops,  and  did  not  take  on  wood  until  we  tied 
up  for  the  night.  Just  after  sunset  we  tied  up,  and  as  soon  as  the 
gang-plank  was  put  out,  Cabell  and  I  hurried  ashore.  Within 
twenty  yards  of  the  landing  Cabell  shot  a  large  hawk  which  dropped 
in  a  thicket  near  by,  and  as  he  ran  to  pick  it  up  a  large  bird  sailed 
out  of  the  forest,  and  lit  in  the  tree  over  his  head.  He  fired  at  it, 
and  it  spread  its  wings  and  glided  down  to  the  ground  about  fifty 
yards  off,  where  one  of  the  little  Indian  boys  with  us  ran  and 
brought  it  back.  Darkness  comes  on  almost  instantaneously  here, 
for  in  the  minute  or  two  that  had  elapsed  since  the  hawk  was  shot, 
it  had  become  so  dark  that  we  had  to  give  up  the  search  for  it,  and 
return  to  the  boat.  We  found  Captain  Bradford  anxious  on  our 
account,  fearing  that  we  would  be  snake-bitten.  When  I  came  to 
examine  the  bird  that  the  little  Indian  had  jjicked  up,  I  found  it  to 
be  something  new  and  very  curious.  It  was  of  the  whippoorwill 
family,  but  very  large,  measuring  twenty-one  inches  in  length  by 
forty-two  in  extent.  Its  mouth,  which  was  not  provided  with  bristles, 
was  so  large  that  I  easily  put  a  moderate-sized  orange  in  it.  Its  eyes 
were  very  large  and  dark,  the  soles  of  its  feet  broad  and  flat  like  the 
palm  of  a  hand.  Its  upper  mandible  had  a  tooth-like  projection  on 
each  side,  and  fitted  over  the  lower.  Its  tail  was  large  and  rounded, 
and,  like  the  rest  of  its  plumage,  was  beautifully  mottled  with  gray 
and  black.  Its  back  was  rusty  in  places  and  its  shoulders  were 
dark  brown  {JVf/ctib'ms  grandis).  I  skinned  it  the  following  morn- 
ing. It  was  a  female,  and  had  been  feeding  on  large  black  beetles. 
It  was  larger  than  a  short-eared  owl. 

I  bought  at  this  place  a  very  prettily  marked  tiger-cat's  skin, 
quite  fresh,  and  saw  several  peccary-skins  and  a  portion  of  tlie  skin 
of  a  tapir.  I  was  told  that  there  were  two  species  of  tapir  found 
near  here,  one  in  the  river  valley  and  another  on  the  mountains. 

Above  Yeguas  I  saw  the  same  kinds  of  sparrow-hawks  and  ru- 
fous-winged buzzards  that  I  had  seen  when  here  two  weeks  ago. 
Below  Yeguas  I  saw  many  blue  and  yellow,  and  blue   and  scarlet 


BACK  TO  BABRANQUILLA. 


123 


macaws,  parrots,  hawks,  and  cocoi  herons.  For  nearly  a  mile  the 
steamer  passed  through  an  immense  swarm  of  grasshoppers.  They 
almost  darkened  the  air,  and  actually  bent  down  the  bushes  upon 
which  they  settled.  They  were  of  the  same  kind  as  those  that  we 
had  seen  at  Honda,  but  were  fully  grown. 

I  had  been  told  that  no  alligators  were  found  above  Yeguas,  but 
when  I  went  back  on  the  engine  for  our  trunks  I  saw  several  large 
ones  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  Honda. 

At  night  Ave  Avere  not  troubled  with  moscpiitoes,  but  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  new  insect  pest,  the  "  egen."  This  is  a  minute 
fly  that  causes  a  blood-blister  the  size  of  a  pin's  head  to  rise 
on  the  skin.  It  does  not  itch,  so  is  not  as  irritating  as  the  bite  of 
a  mosquito,  but  leaves  a  mark  that  lasts  for  a  week  or  more. 

It  was  clear  and  very  hot. 

Sunday,  July  17,  1892.  We  started  at  early  dawn,  made  very 
few  stops  during  the  day,  and  ran   along   rapidly.     The  river  was 


GKAND    POOTOO    (NYf'TIBIUS    ORANDIs). 


124  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

much  lower  than  when  we  came  up.  We  saw  quantities  of  aUi- 
gators,  and  shot  at  them  many  times.  We  struck  a  number,  but 
killed  very  few.  Cabell  killed  a  tremendous  one,  and  we  wished 
very  much  that  we  could  have  gotten  it.  It  was  fully  250  yards 
distant,  and  he  killed  it  with  the  32  Winchester  after  firino-  four  shots 
at  it.  Captain  Bradford,  who  is  an  excellent  shot,  joined  us  in  the 
shooting.  He  used  a  44-calibre  Remington,  which  was  much  more 
effective  than  the  light  Winchester.  About  noon  we  made  a  short 
stop  at  Puerto  Berrio.  I  hurried  ashore  with  my  gun,  and  in  a 
few  moments  shot  a  new  toucan.  It  was  similar  in  size  and  colora- 
tion to  the  one  killed  by  Mr.  Lindauer  on  the  up  trip.  The  beak 
of  this  one,  however,  was  plain,  not  serrate,  and  was  chocolate- 
brown,  almost  black  below,  greenish  yellow  on  top,  becoming  pure 
yellow  at  the  tip.  The  skin  of  its  face  was  a  bright  lemon-green, 
feet  lead-blue.  The  colors  of  the  plumage  were  like  those  of  the 
first  one,  except  that  the  rump  was  white  [Ramphastos  amhifjims). 
This  was  a  male,  and  was  one  of  a  large  scattered  flock. 

We  did  not  tie  up  for  the  night  until  it  was  too  late  to  go  ashore. 
I  saw  during  the  day  some  capybaras,  two  kinds  of  macaws,  some 
guacharacas,  and  four  kinds  of  toucans,  the  three  of  which  we  have 
obtained  specimens  and  a  fourth  whose  under  parts  seemed  largely 
red. 

The  steward  bought  for  the  table  a  large  turtle,  or  rather  terrapin. 
It  had  a  smooth  shell,  a  uniformly  colored  skin,  a  sharp  pointed  and 
snake-like  head  with  the  eyes  much  nearer  the  tip  of  the  nose  than 
in  our  river  terrapins.  The  poor  reptile  was  secured  by  having  its 
feet  sewn  together.     It  was  clear  and  hot  and  rained  at  night. 

Monday,  July  18,  1892.  We  started  very  early,  and  made  a  good 
day's  run,  passing  Bodega  Central,  Puerto  Nacional,  and  other 
places,  but  made  no  stop  long  enough  to  go  ashore  for  birds. 
We  shot  a  great  many  times  at  alligators.  I  saw  several  iguanas 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Lebrija.  At  Puerto  Nacional  there  was 
one  on  the  river's  bank,  and  getting  between  it  and  the  trees,  I 
made  an  attempt  to  catch  it ;   but  without  the  slightest  hesitation 


BACK  TO   BAh'llANQUILLA. 


125 


KING    VULTURE. 
(From  "  Riverside  Natural  History,"  by  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.) 


it  dived  boldly  into  the  water,  and  swam  off  beneath  the  surface  as 
easily  as  a  frog.  We  saw  several  small  bands  of  monkeys  in  the 
trees  as  we  passed  along.  After  we  had  tied  up  for  the  night,  the 
mosquitoes  became  very  troublesome.     It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Tuesday,  July  19,  1892.  We  passed  Banco  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  later  the  mouth  of  the  Cauca,  soon  after  which  we  made 
a  short  stop  at  Magangue.  The  water  was  now  too  low  for  us  to 
get  into  Mompos.    I  saw  during  the  day  several  herds  of  capybaras. 


126  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 

Before  I  got  up,  Cabell  had  seen  a  king  vulture,  and  later  in  the 
day  I  saw  a  pair  perched  in  a  low  dead  tree  growing  in  a  marsh. 
At  the  distance  that  I  saw  them,  they  looked  black  and  white  with 
red  heads.  I  also  saw  another  new  bird,  apparently  an  ibis,  very 
large,  snowy  white  plumage  with  black  head  and  legs  {Mi/cteria 
americana).  I  saw  large  flocks  of  black  and  white  ducks  of  two 
or  three  kinds,  wood  ibises,  blackish  ones,  like  those  that  we  shot  at 
Barranquilla,  roseate  sjDOonbills,  white  egrets,  snowy  herons,  cocoi 
herons,  the  black  and  white  terns,  some  small  sand  snipe,  large 
plover,  three  kinds  of  kingfishers,  numbers  of  the  screamers,  cara- 
cara  eagles,  etc.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  stopped  for  wood,  and 
Cabell  and  myself  hurried  ashore,  but  in  a  few  minutes  a  drenching 
rain  fell,  and  before  we  could  run  back  to  the  boat  we  were  soaked. 
Cabell  shot  a  very  large  hawk,  probably  a  young  caracara  eagle,  as 
it  had  the  same  large  bluish  white  beak  with  pinkish  colorations 
along  the  side  of  the  head.  It  was  in  wretched  plumage,  and  stunk 
so  intolerably  of  carrion  that  we  did  not  bring  it  on  board.  It  was 
of  a  dirty  dark  brownish  color  above,  with  a  great  many  narrow 
brown  and  white  bars  on  the  tail.  In  the  same  tree  in  which  the 
hawk  was  sitting  there  were  three  large  iguanas.  They  seem  very 
abundant  along  the  river  here. 

The  boat  ran  all  night.  Just  about  dusk,  as  we  were  running 
close  to  the  shore,  a  large  yellowish  owl  flopped  out  from  some 
scrubby  bushes  and  flew  off  from  the  river.  With  the  exception  of 
the  rain  in  the  afternoon,  it  was  clear  and  hot. 

Wednesday,  July  20,  1892.  When  we  woke  at  daybreak  this 
morning,  our  boat  was  just  making  fast  to  the  wharf  at  Barran- 
quilla. We  dressed  quickly,  got  off  our  baggage,  and  drove  around 
to  Miss  Hoare's,  where  we  were  given  very  nice  rooms.  After  we  had 
taken  some  coffee,  Alice  rested  whilst  Cabell  and  I  walked  around 
to  the  market.  I  bought  two  more  jaguar-skins,  —  not  such  large 
ones  as  the  one  I  had  gotten  at  Honda,  —  and  paid  for  them  seven 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  in  paper.  I  saw  in  the  market  an  Indian 
with  a  macaw  of  a  kind  that  I  had  not  seen  so  far.     It  was  large, 


BACK   TO  BARBANQUILLA. 


127 


with  scarlet  and  yellow  the  prevailing  colors,  the  wings  being  largely 
yellow  {Ara  macao).  I  was  told  that  it  had  been  caught  near 
Barranquilla. 

Later  on  it  grew  so  hot  that  we  returned  to  the  hotel,  and  sat 
around  in  the  shade  until  about  four  o'clock,  when  we  went  out  for 


% 


3it«» 


CATHEDRAL    AT    KAKKANt^UILLA. 


a  long  drive  through  the  town.  It  covers  a  good  deal  of  space,  but 
except  the  cathedral  and  one  or  two  buildings  near  by,  there  are 
no  houses  of  any  architectural  pretensions.  The  majority  of  the 
dwellinghouses  are  of  mud  and  bamboo,  thatched  with  rushes.  In 
some  the  mud  is  whitewashed,  or  is  plastered  smooth  with  lime,  so 
that  from  the  street  they  appear  solidly  built  of  brick.     One  house 


128 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 


of  some  pretension  was  unique.  Between  each  window  was  a  large 
panel  in  the  wall,  and  these  panels  were  decorated  with  paintings  or 
frescoes  horribly  executed,  the  figures  of  life-size  and  gaudily  col- 
ored. In  one  of  the  panels  was  the  "  Angelus."  In  the  evening 
we  called  on  Captain  Bradford.     It  Avas  clear  and  hot. 

In  the  courtyard  of  our  hotel  there  was  a  little  armadillo  which 
had  been  bought  at  the  market  here.     Its  body  was  about  the  size 


'  Vr^'-  K A    h 


NINE-BANDED    ARMADILLO    (tATUSIA    NOVEMCINCTA). 


of  a  rabbit's,  but  its  head  was  longer  and  smaller,  and  its  tail  long 
and  thick  at  the  liase.  Its  scales  did  not  overlap,  nor  were  they 
separate,  but  were  like  those  on  the  under  parts  of  an  alligator.  Its 
eyes  were  very  small  (Tahinla  novemchicta). 


BACK   TO  BARRANQUILLA.  129 

Thursday,  July  21,  1892.  Cabell  and  I  had  arranc^ed  for  a  man 
to  come  and  take  us  out  in  a  boat  early  this  mornino-,  so  we  mi<>-ht 
get  some  waterfowl ;  but  although  we  were  ready  by  five  o'clock, 
he  failed  to  appear.  About  seven  we  walked  around  to  the  market, 
where,  after  considerable  inquiry,  we  managed  to  find  a  man  and  a 
boy,  who  took  us  out  in  a  large  dug-out.  We  started  about  half 
past  seven,  and  went  through  a  large  ditch  or  canal,  which  ran 
across  a  marshy  tract  for  over  a  mile,  until  it  opened  into  the 
Magdalena.  Here  we  turned  up-stream,  and  hugged  the  shore 
closely  so  that  our  boat  could  be  poled  along.  On  our  way  in  the 
canal  we  came  across  the  badly  decomposed  body  of  a  very  large 
alligator,  in  whose  jaws  a  few  teeth  yet  remained,  which  our  boat- 
man pulled  out  for  us.  As  we  turned  a  bend  in  the  canal,  we  saw 
coming  towards  us  a  boat-load  of  natives  transporting  cattle  in  a 
most  curious  way.  The  boat  was  a  huge  dug-out,  but  was  so  nar- 
row that  four  or  five  bullocks  would  have  filled  it,  so  the  boatmen 
had  devised  a  peculiar  plan.  They  had  lashed  across  the  boat,  at 
equal  distances  apart,  three  long  poles  that  projected  like  out-rig- 
gers ten  feet  or  more  on  either  side.  These  poles  were  probably 
about  a  foot  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  cattle  were 
driven  into  the  water  until  they  were  swimming,  and  then  their 
horns  were  lashed  firmly  to  the  poles.  For  each  pole  there  were 
eight  bullocks,  —  fo^^u*  on  a  side,  making  twenty-four  in  all.  The 
boat  was  poled  along  by  the  crew,  the  cattle  swimming,  and  the 
poles  keeping  their  heads  above  water,  so  that  they  could  not 
drown. 

We  had  hardly  left  the  canal  when  I  shot,  on  a  mud  flat,  a  small 
grayish  heron.  It  was  smaller  than  our  green  heron,  but  quite 
similar  in  coloration,  the  top  of  its  head  dark ;  its  back  and  wings 
the  same  greenish  gray,  with  lighter  edgings  to  the  feathers  ;  the 
neck  light  and  streaked  below  {Butorides  cyanurus).  This  bird 
was  unfortunately  stolen  by  a  cat  at  the  hotel  before  I  had  skinned 
it.  At  this  same  spot  I  saw  standing,  on  a  strip  of  mud  by  a  pool 
in  the  marsh,  one  of  the  white-winged  jaganas  that  are  so  common 


130  A   FLYING    TRIP    TO   THE   TROPICS. 

here.  I  sliot  and  killed  it,  and  tlien  directed  the  little  Indian  with 
us  to  bring  it.  He  started  for  it ;  but  before  he  could  reach  it  a 
small  alligator  darted  out  of  the  pool,  grabbed  the  bird,  and 
returned  to  the  water  with  it.  I  ran  up  at  this,  and  frightened  the 
"  caymancito  "  so  that  he  dropped  the  jagana,  but  rose  to  the 
surface,  and,  with  his  eyes  just  on  a  level  with  the  water,  watched 
me  closely.  Cabell  now  came  up  with  the  rifle,  and  I  took  good 
aim  at  a  distance  of  some  ten  feet,  and  blazed  away.  The  alligator 
turned  over  on  his  back,  and  sunk  in  about  eighteen  inches  of 
water.  I  waded  in,  and  secured  both  it  and  the  bird.  The  alliga- 
tor was  stone  dead ;  yet,  though  I  examined  it  closely  a  dozen  times, 
I  could  never  detect  the  slightest  scratch  upon  it.  It  was  probably 
killed  by  the  concussion,  as  blood  oozed  from  its  throat. 

The  jagana  had  a  yellowish  orange  beak,  a  scarlet  frontal  shield 
and  lobes  at  the  side  of  its  mouth.  It  had  a  yellow,  thorn-like  spur 
on  the  inner  side  of  each  wing  at  the  wrist-joint.  Its  general  color 
above  and  below  was  black,  with  greenish  and  purplish  reflections ; 
its  primaries  and  secondaries  pale,  greenish  white,  with  narrow, 
blackish  edgings ;  its  legs  and  feet  olive  {Ja(;ana  n'ujra).  When  I 
came  to  skin  this  bird,  I  found  that,  although  it  much  resembles  a 
coot,  it  is  very  easily  skinned,  whilst  it  is  almost  an  impossibility  to 
get  the  skin  of  a  coot's  neck  to  pass  over  the  head.  Later  in  the 
day  I  saw  others  that  were  whitish  below.  They  were  probably 
young.  The  one  that  I  killed  was  a  female.  At  this  place  I  saw  a 
slender  clay-colored  snake ;  but  it  ran  under  some  driftwood  before 
I  could  kill  it.  A  little  farther  up  the  river  I  shot  at  a  purple  gal- 
linule,  and  crippled  it,  but  did  not  get  it.  Cabell  got  a  snap  shot 
at  a  small  alligator,  but  missed,  and  later  he  shot  one  of  the  terns 
that  we  had  seen  so  often.  It  was  a  large  bird,  a  male  in  poor 
plumage,  grayish  above  ;  tail  short  and  forked,  dark  grayish ;  wings 
white,  primaries  black,  below  white,  crown  black,  beak  yellow, 
feet  the  color  of  yellowish  green  oil  paint  [Phaetlmsa  magniros- 
tris).  Farther  up  the  river,  where  an  opening  offered,  we  went 
ashore.     Here  we  found  among  the  underbrush  a  number  of  small 


jLAOK    JACANA    (JACANA    NIGRA). 


132 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO   THE   TROPICS. 


wliippoorwills,  and  Cabell  shot  two,  both  females.  They  were  much 
smaller  than  ours,  had  bristles  along  the  gape,  their  tails  were 
sHghtly  forked,  and  marked  like  that  of  our  night-hawk,  except 
rusty  instead  of  gray.  Above  they  were  mottled  with  rufous  and 
black  [Stenopsis  rujicervlx).  Here,  also,  we  got  several  long  shots 
at  some  cormorants,  but  failed  to  get  any.  They  seemed  to  be  of  a 
uniform  grayish  color.  The  boatman  called  them  "  pato  cuervo," 
crow-duck. 

I  saw  at  least  three  species  of  ducks,  but  could  not  identify  any 


"^J^UC^Cjcfyt 


MURINE    OPOSSUM    (DIDELPHYS    MURINUS). 


of  them.  When  we  returned  to  the  boat  we  concluded  to  cross  the 
river,  so  we  hoisted  a  coarse  sail  of  bagging,  and  were  soon  across, 
although  the  river  here  is  very  wide.     As  we  passed  under  some 


BACK   TO   BARRANQUILLA.  138 

willow-like  bushes  overliaiiging  the  water,  I  saw  in  one  of  them  a 
large  mud  ball,  about  the  size  of  a  man's  head.  Cabell  pulled  it 
down,  and  found  it  to  be  a  nest  of  some  kind.  It  had  a  little  hole 
in  one  side,  and  was  lined  with  strips  of  bark.  In  it  he  found  what 
I  thought  at  first  was  a  rat ;  but  a  glance  at  the  thumb  on  the  fore 
paws  showed  it  to  be  a  'possum.  It  was  smaller  than  a  rat,  yellow- 
ish brown  above,  paler  beneath,  with  a  black  stripe  on  each  side  of 
its  head,  from  its  nose  to  its  ear,  embracing  the  eye  {D'tdeljjhys 
Diurinus).  It  was  a  female,  I  think,  and  had  no  pouch  that  I  could 
discover ;  but  its  teats  were  arranged  in  a  circle  at  the  lower  part 
of  its  belly.  At  this  place  we  saw  a  number  of  large  alligators, 
but  got  no  shots  at  them,  as  they  were  all  swimming.  We  went 
ashore  here,  and  I  shot  one  of  the  smallest-sized  kingfishers  [Ceryle 
americana).  It  w^as  just  a  miniature  of  the  one  that  we  got  on 
our  way  up  the  river,  glossy  green  above,  white  below,  a  white 
collar,  and  a  chestnut-red  belt.  This  was  a  male.  The  female 
which  I  saw  was  without  the  belt.  We  saw  numbers  of  iauanas 
and  of  the  large  brown  hooded  lizards.  The  latter  were  called 
"  lobos,"  or  wolves,  by  our  boatmen. 

It  had  now  become  too  hot  to  remain  out  longer,  so  we  turned 
back,  and  reached  the  market  about  eleven.  On  our  way  we  passed 
several  dug-outs  loaded  almost  to  the  water's  edge  with  mangoes, 
which  are  eaten  here  in  great  quantities.  We  saw  birds  too  numer- 
ous to  mention  :  great  flocks  of  parrakeets,  numbers  of  kites,  herons, 
ducks,  etc. 

In  the  market  we  found  some  men  skinning  a  manati,  which  they 
had  just  harpooned  in  the  river.  It  was  upon  its  back,  and  was 
half  skinned,  so  I  could  not  get  a  good  look  at  it.  It  was  about 
seven  feet  long  and  as  thick  through  as  a  small  horse.  Its  color 
was  that  of  a  hippopotamus,  its  skin  very  thick  with  a  few  coarse 
hairs,  its  flesh  like  coarse  beef  in  appearance  and  covered  with  heavy 
blubber.  Its  tail  was  flat  and  fan-shaped,  with  no  divisions,  and  not 
so  pointed  as  in  the  figure  given.  Its  fore  flippers  were  like  long 
paddles  and  smooth,  but  when   skinned,  the   different  bones  were 


IM 


A    FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


THE    MANATI. 

(FromT'.  S.  Fisli  Commission  Report.) 


easily  seen.  Its  lips  were  thick  and  fleshy,  and  well  covered  with 
stiff  hairs.  I  promised  the  man  a  reward  if  he  would  bring  me  the 
skull,  but  he  failed  to  do  so.  When  we  reached  the  hotel  we  had 
breakfast,  after  which  I  skinned  the  birds  and  the  'possum. 

We  had  intended  to  leave  for  La  Guayra  by  the  French  steamer, 
and  take  the  Red  "  D  "  Line  from  that  place  on  the  30th,  but  for- 
tunately for  us,  the  Royal  Mail  Steamer,  the  Derwent,  was  in  port, 
and  would  leave  for  Curagao  on  the  next  day,  so  we  concluded  to  go 
there  instead,  especially  as  we  heard  bad  accounts  of  the  state  of 
affairs  in  Venezuela  due  to  the  revolution. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  went  for  a  drive,  and  upon  our  return 


BACK   TO  BABRANQUILLA.  135 

Alice  began  to  feel  badly,  and  spent  a  sleepless  night,  troubled  with 
a  high  fever  and  severe  headache.     It  was  clear  and  very  hot. 

Friday,  July  22,  1892.  Just  as  soon  as  possible  after  daybreak, 
I  secured  a  doctor,  who  found  Alice  suffering  from  malaria,  and  pre- 
scribed quinine.  Cabell  and  I  sjjent  the  morning  in  packing,  and 
at  one  o'clock  left  our  hotel  for  the  station.  Our  train  left  shortly 
before  two,  and  we  reached  Puerto  Colombia  in  about  an  hour. 
We  noticed  a  great  change  in  the  country  since  we  first  went  over 
the  road.  Everything  now  was  dry  and  dusty,  where  there  were 
pools  and  lakes  before.  We  saw  at  one  j^lace  a  lot  of  large  plover, 
and  some  stilts  that  waded  about  in  water  up  to  their  bodies.  The 
ride  down  was  extremely  hot,  and  was  very  trying  to  Alice,  who  had 
a  slight  chill  when  we  reached  the  wharf.  We  had  to  wait  over  an 
hour  for  the  tug,  which  finally  came  and  carried  us  out  to  the  Der- 
went.  Captain  Buckler  gave  us  very  good  staterooms,  and  I  got 
the  ship's  doctor  to  prescribe  for  Alice  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  steamer  started  about  five,  and  in  a  few  minutes  I  had  to 
give  in  to  seasickness.     Cabell,  however,  kept  well. 

It  was  clear  and  hot. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

CURACAO    AGAIN. 

Saturday,  July  23,  1892.  This  morning  at  daybreak  we  had  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  Santa  Marta.  I  could 
not  believe  at  first  that  the  immense  snowy  masses  that  apparently 
towered  above  us  could  be  anything  else  but  clouds.  They  appeared 
to  rise  abruptly  from  the  seashore,  but  in  reality  they  are  some  thirty 
miles  inland.  The  highest  peak  is  over  16,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  As  the  sun  rose,  clouds  began  to  gather,  and  soon 
blotted  out  from  our  sight  the  last  portions  of  the  Colombian 
coast.  Alice  was  feeling  better  at  night,  though  still  sufl^ering  from 
headache.  I  was  seasick  all  day,  so  sat  around  and  confined  myself 
to  a  diet  of  toast  and  ginger  ale.  There  was  a  perfect  menagerie 
on  board,  belonging  to  the  officers  and  crew  :  a  tiger  cat,  a  peccary, 
two  monkeys,  a  red  and  white  squirrel,  a  pair  of  thick-billed 
euphonias,  and  about  twenty  macaws,  parrots,  and  parrakeets.  The 
tiger  cat,  which  was  of  the  same  species  as  those  of  which  we  pur- 
chased the  skins  on  the  Magdalena,  was  taller  and  slightly  larger 
than  our  wild-cat,  and  very  prettily  marked. 

It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Sunday,  July  24,  1892.  Early  this  morning  we  passed  on  our 
right  the  island  of  Aruba.  It  is  similar  in  appearance  to  Curagao, 
which  place  we  sighted  about  noon.  We  finally  entered  the  har- 
bor of  Santa  Ana  between  four  and  five.  I  went  ashore  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  secured  some  good  rooms  at  the  Hotel  Commercio  ; 
then  returned,  got  together  our  baggage,  and  we  left  the  ship. 
We  had  a  large,  bright  room  through  which  the  trade  wind  blew 


CURAgAO  AGAIN.  137 

steadily,  and  we  found  it  delightfully  cool,  and  enjoyed  a  good 
night's  rest. 

It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Monday,  July  25,  1892.  We  stayed  in  or  near  the  hotel  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  and  did  nothing  in  particular.  We 
secured  staterooms  on  the  Venezuela,  which  was  expected  on  the 
28th.  After  breakfast  Cabell  and  I  took  a  short  walk.  A  negro 
fishing  on  the  wharf  near  the  old  fort  gave  me  a  very  beautiful 
fish.  It  was  about  the  size  and  somewhat  of  the  shape  of  a  large 
sun  perch,  black,  with  bright  yellow  stripes,  and  a  brilliant  blue 
line  just  below  the  eye.  Each  of  the  black  scales  had  a  little  silvery 
crescent  at  the  tip  (gen.  Pomacantlius). 

About  four  o'clock  Alice  and  I  went  for  a  short  drive  to  the 
southeast  of  the  town.  We  found  splendid  roads  and  everything 
looking  fresher  and  greener  than  when  we  were  here  last.  The 
houses  and  streets  were  certainly  very  clean  and  prettily  kept.  I 
noticed  at  one  place  a  gang  of  convicts  sweeping  the  streets.  They 
wore  the  ball  and  chain,  but  were  not  dressed  in  the  striped  clothes 
that  our  convicts  sometimes  wear.  Instead,  they  wore  a  white  coat 
with  one  red  sleeve  and  one  blue  sleeve,  and  the  legs  of  their 
trousers  were  of  different  colors. 

Houses,  even  those  in  the  outskirts  and  far  into  the  country,  are 
solidly  built  as  a  general  rule,  but  we  saw  a  few  little  wattle  and 
thatch  huts  which  looked  quite  picturescpie. 

I  saw  flying  over  the  harbor  a  flock  of  five  brown  pelicans,  and 
some  medium-sized  terns,  gray,  both  above  and  below,  with  black 
crowns. 

It  was  clear  and  warm. 

Tuesday,  July  26,  1892.  I  woke  about  half  past  five,  called 
Cabell,  and  we  took  our  guns,  crossed  the  harbor,  and  Avent  up  over 
the  hill  to  the  spot  where  we  hunted  when  here  before.  We  saw 
the  same  species  of  birds  that  we  had  seen,  and,  in  addition,  some 
others.  I  saw  quantities  of  the  little  ground  doves,  the  little  dark 
finches,  the   honey-creepers,  and  the  chestnut-crowned  yellow  war- 


138 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


biers,  of  which  I  killed  three,  two  males  and  a  female.  The  female 
had  no  chestnut  on  the  head,  and  the  sjDots  on  the  breast  were  very 
faint,  almost  wanting.  I  also  saw  quantities  of  the  chestnut-col- 
lared sparrows,  and  shot  a  male.  As  we  were  walking  along  the 
road  near  the  monastery,  I  saw  a  pair  of  partridges  run  through  the 
hedge  in  front  of  me,  and  by  a  snap  shot  I  killed  one,  a  male  in 
fine  plumage.  It  was  very  similar  to  those  that  we  had  gotten  in 
Guaduas,  perhaps  smaller,  and  lighter  colored  generally,  its  throat, 
chin,  and  forehead  being  buff  without  the  rufous  of  the  Guaduas 
bird  [Eu])sy chart yx  C7^istatus).  Cabell  shot  one  of  the  mocking- 
birds, which  I  found  to  be  very  similar  to  ours.  This  was  a  young 
bird  with  speckled  breast  {Mimus  (jilmis  rostratus). 

Upon  one  of  the  hills  we  came  across  a  flock  of  seven  or  eight 
large  pigeons,  the  "  ala  blanca."     They  seemed  to  be  large  grayish 


WATTLE    HUT,    CUKACAO. 


CURACAO  AGAIN.  139 

birds,  with  a  white  streak  in  each  wing-.  Cabell  got  a  long  shot  and 
struck  one,  but  failed  to  get  it.  They  were  very  shy,  and  we  got 
no  more  shots  at  them.  We  also  saw  a  number  of  doves  or  pigeons 
of  a  smaller  size,  intermediate  between  this  and  the  ground  dove. 
They  were  all  flying  at  a  distance  and  we  got  no  shots.  Later  I 
shot  a  sparrow-hawk,  a  female,  marked  like  ours,  above  reddish 
brown  with  black  bars,  its  head  bluish  gray  above  with  traces  of 
rusty  on  the  scalp  ;  below  whitish,  streaked  with  brown,  its  thighs 
whitish,  cere  and  feet  yellow,  eyes  brown,  beak  horn-blue,  black  at 
the  tip  { Tlnnunculus  sjicirverius  hrevipetinis). 

When  we  reached  the  tamarind-trees  near  the  old  convent,  we 
found  them  in  bloom  and  perfectly  swarming  with  humming-birds. 
In  a  few  minutes  we  got  twenty-four  ;  but  as  there  were  but  two 
species  among  them,  we  killed  no  more.  They  were  the  ruby  and 
topaz  [Chri/solamjils  moschltus)  and  the  small  emerald  green  [Chlo- 
rostilbon  atala).  We  started  back  shortly  after  eight,  and  on  the 
way  we  flushed  some  more  partridges,  but  failed  to  get  any.  We 
found  in  a  scrubby  cactus  the  nest  of  one  of  the  little  dark-colored 
finches.  It  was  almost  spherical,  with  a  hole  in  one  side,  and  con- 
tained three  eggs  much  like  those  of  our  field-sparrow.  The  ruby 
and  topaz  humming-birds  that  we  killed  were  in  very  poor  plumage, 
their  bodies  covered  with  undeveloped  pin-feathers.  We  reached 
the  hotel  about  half  past  nine,  and  after  breakfast  Avorked  for  sev- 
eral hours  skinnino-  our  birds.  In  the  afternoon  we  went  for  a 
long  drive,  this  time  in  a  northerly  direction  and  beyond  the  monas- 
tery. Everything  looked  beautiful.  The  roads  were  well  kept  and 
ran  between  high  hedges  of  the  club  cactus.  Notwithstanding  the 
mountains,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  level  land.  In  all  of  the  little 
valleys  there  are  small  embankments,  or  dams,  built  across  at  inter- 
vals, —  just  as  we  make  ice-ponds,  —  to  catch  any  rain  that  may 
fall,  and  let  the  water  soak  in  instead  of  running  off.  I  saw  quan- 
tities of  the  lizards  that  I  saw  when  here  before.  It  was  cloudy 
in  the  morning,  and  rained  after  breakfast,  but  held  up  before  we 
went  out  for  our  drive,  so  we  found  it  very  cool  and  pleasant. 


140 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


There  are  three  or  four  papers  published  in  Curagao,  and  one  that 
I  came  across  was  printed  in  the  Papamiento  dialect.  After  I  had 
read  some  of  it,  I  did  not  wonder  that  I  found  it  difiicult  to  under- 


MOrNTAIN    AT    nURACAO. 


stand.     I    give    below   an    advertisement    with    the    corresponding 
Spanish,  so  that  they  may  be  compared :  — 


Plateria  .   .  . 

Caya  Grandi. 

E  winkel  aki  ta  ofrece  na  pu- 
blico su  sirbishi,  garantizando 
tur  trabauw  pa  bon  ejecucion  i 
bon  ousto.  Tambe  tin  di  beende 
un  erran  surtido  di,  etc. 


Plateria. 

Calle  Grande. 

El aqui  a  ofrecer  al  pu- 
blico sus  servicios,  guarantizando 
todo  trabajo  para  buen  ejecucion 
y  buen  gusto.  Tambien  tiene  y 
viende  un  gran  surtido  de,  etc. 


In  Papamiento   the  name  Curagao  is  spelled  Corsouw.     It  is  a 


CUEAgAO  AGAIN.  141 

phonetic  derivation  from  Spanish  with  a  mixture  of  Dutch  (as  in 
the  word  winkel  above),  but  in  many  cases  there  is  an  omission  of 
syllables,  as,  for  instance,  "  tur  lo  ke  ta  "  is  in  Spanish  "  todo  lo 
que  esta."  Whilst  I  am  on  the  subject  of  languages,  I  am  reminded 
to  say  that  in  Colombia  a  good  Spanish  is  generally  spoken.  There 
are  a  few  peculiarities  that  I  noticed.  The  letter  c  is  generally  pro- 
nounced as  in  English  without  the  lisping  tJt  sound  that  I  had  been 
taught  was  proper  in  Spain.  The  d  in  such  words  as  lado,  pescado, 
Colorado,  etc.,  is  generally  omitted  in  pronunciation,  thus  making 
the  word  lao,  pescao,  etc.  The  letters  h  and  v  are  interchanged  in 
a  hopelessly  confusing  way  ;  h  is  in  general  pronounced  c,  but  the 
rule  to  the  contrary  is  sometimes  observed,  as,  for  instance,  the 
word  for  twenty,  veinte,  I  heard  pronounced  beinte.  There  are 
some  delicate  shades  of  meaning  expressed  by  uses  of  the  aug- 
mentative and  diminutive  terminations.  Temprano  means  early, 
tempranito  means  very  early,  or  soon  in  the  morning :  "  ^  Esta  todo 
arreglado?"  means.  Is  all  arranged,  or  ready?  "^^Esta  todito  arre- 
glado?"  Is  every  single  thing  ready?  The  ordinary  aj^pellation 
for  servants  is  hombre,  in  preference  to  mozo. 

Wednesday,  July  27,  1892.  Cabell  and  myself  went  out  early 
this  morning  to  the  same  place  that  we  visited  the  day  before. 
When  we  reached  the  spot  where  Ave  had  seen  the  pigeons,  I  crept 
up  cautiously,  got  a  long  flying  shot  and  killed  one,  a  male.  It 
was  a  large  bird,  the  size  of  a  common  pigeon,  its  beak  light  flesh- 
color,  the  nostrils  pinkish,  eyes  reddish,  skin  around  them  blue, 
around  this  a  circle  of  brown  roughened  skin  lookinj^  like  the  sand- 
j^aper  on  a  match-box.  It  was  of  the  usual  dove-color,  becoming 
bluish  on  the  rump,  lighter  below,  the  tail  plain  grayish  with  no 
bars  or  marks,  the  scapulars  brownish  gray,  a  diagonal  white  band 
from  the  wrist-joint  to  the  scapulars,  the  primaries  and  secondaries 
sepia  with  fine  white  edges.  The  feathers  of  its  iris  were  j)rettily 
marked ;  each  was  something  like  a  miniature  turkey's  feather ;  a 
narrow  band  of  black  at  the  tip,  and  above  this  a  strip  of  metallic 
color,  giving  the  neck  a  barred  appearance.     The  feet  were  large 


142  A   FLYING   TRIP    TO    THE   TROPICS. 

and  of  a  deep  pinkish  red  (Columha  gymnoptliahna).  A  little 
farther  on  Cabell  shot  an  oriole  similar  to  the  one  we  had  killed 
at  Barranquilla.  It  was  the  size  of  our  Baltimore  oriole,  brilliant 
yellow,  its  throat,  chin,  spot  from  eye  to  beak,  tail,  and  wings  black, 
wing  with  a  white  bar  and  many  feathers  edged  with  white,  some 
of  the  tail-feathers  white  tipped  [Icterus  xanthornus  curasoensls, 
Ridgw.).  This  was  the  bird  that  our  guide  had  called  a  troupial 
when  we  were  here  before.  A  little  later  Cabell  shot  another,  which 
was  also  a  male,  but  was  dull  olive-yellow,  darker  on  the  tail  and 
wings  and  lighter  below.  We  also  got  another  mocking-bird  and  a 
honey-creeper  like  the  one  that  we  killed  before,  but  having  its 
throat  and  supra-orbital  stripe  yellow. 

From  this  place  we  crossed  over  to  the  seashore,  where,  on  the 
edge  of  some  salt-pans,  I  shot  a  young  male  spotted  sandpiper 
{Actitis  macular  la).  This  was  in  the  unspotted  plumage,  its  breast 
plain  white.  We  saw  very  many  humming-birds,  but  shot  none,  as 
they  were  all  of  the  same  species  as  those  that  we  had  killed  the  day 
before.  We  also  saw  in  a  mangrove  swamp  a  pair  of  small  herons, - 
which  I  took  to  be  our  green  heron,  a  number  of  the  medium-sized 
doves,  a  medium-sized  tern,  apparently  jiure  white,  and  a  very  small 
one,  white  with  a  black  crown.  We  reached  the  hotel  before  break- 
fast, and  afterwards  skinned  our  birds.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
for  a  long  drive.  I  carried  my  camera  and  took  a  number  of  views. 
We  saw  great  numbers  of  humming-birds  and  ground  doves,  and 
three  partridges  running  along  the  road  with  their  crests  up.  I 
also  saw  several  sparrow-hawks,  and  a  hawk  of  much  larger  size 
flying  at  a  distance. 

Donkeys  are  used  a  great  deal  around  Curagao.  We  saw  many 
men  and  women  riding  them,  the  women  sitting  astride  of  the  little 
animals,  with  their  big  toes  thrust  in  loops  of  cord  which  served  as 
stirrups.     It  was  partially  cloudy  and  cool. 

Thursday,  July  28,  1892.  The  Venezuela  came  in  shortly  after 
daybreak  this  morning,  so  as  soon  as  we  Avere  up  we  went  over  to 
see  our  friends  on  board.     After  our  return  to  the  hotel  I  took  my 


^^r*-— ^ 


J  S  KeudemajTs  del  Miruter-ri. Bros .  Chromo  lith. London., 

ICTERUS    XANTHORNUS    CURASOENSIS,i^Tv. 

Ciaracao    Qpiole  . 


daikoroft  Librasty 


CURACAO  AGAIN. 


143 


camera  and  went  up  to  Fort  Nassau  on  the  hill  hack  of  the  town, 
whence  I  took  several  views  of  the  liarhor.  I  passed  on  my  way 
some  tamarind-trees  in  hloom,  around  which  were  quantities  of 
humming'-hirds  of  the  two  species.  I  also  saw  numbers  of  the 
chestnut-crowned    yellow    warblers,    the    honey-creepers,  and    the 


ABORIGINES   OF    CURACAO. 


mockino'-birds,  and  three  sparrow-hawks.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
for  a  long-  drive  to  the  southeast  of  the  town.  At  a  point  on  the 
southern  edge  of  the  Lagoon  we  passed  some  large  shallow  salt- 
water pools,  where  1  saw  wading  about  sand  snipe  of  three  different 
sizes,  but  could  recognize  none  of  them.  I  also  saw  at  a  distance  a 
large  hawk  that  flew  like  our  marsh-hawk.  I  regret  that  we  could 
not  stay  here  long  enough  to  work  up  thoroughly  the  birds  of  the 
island.    In  the  course  of  our  drive  Ave  passed  many  attractive-looking 


IM 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


country  places  surrounded  hy  cool  groves  of  fruit  and  palm  trees. 
The  nisperos  were  in  perfection.  Tliey  mucli  resemble  a  russet  apple, 
but  are  soft  and  jiulpy,  with  large  flat  seeds.  The  pulp  is  very 
sweet,  like  unrefined  sugar,  and  though  I  did  not  care  for  them  at 
first,  I  soon  grew  to  like  them.  I  also  tried  some  cashews,  or  cachiis, 
and  found  them  not  unpleasant,  but  my  unfortunate  curiosity  led  me 
to  bite  into  one  of  the  kidney-shaped  excrescences  at  the  larger  end. 
Be  warned  by  me,  and  if  you  ever  have  a  cacliii,  avoid  the  bean. 


DONKEY    TEAM.  (;UKA<'AO. 


Of  all  the  most  disgusting,  acrid,  bitter,  burning,  clinging  tastes 
this  is  the  worst,  and  though  I  went  no  farther  than  to  stick  my 
teeth  into  it,  it  was  hours  before  I  could  rid  myself  of  the  taste, 
even  though  I  repeatedly  rinsed  my  mouth  with  pure  alcohol. 

During  our  stay  here  we  saw  many  fish  in  the  harbor,  but  they 


CURAgAO   AGAIN.  145 

did  not  seem  to  bite  at  all.  Great  numbers  of  a  fish  not  much 
laraer  than  a  sardine  are  eauoht  in  cast  nets.  Some  of  them  are 
dried  and  sold  thus,  tied  up  in  little  bundles  like  cigars  ( Trachuro'ps 
t>p.).  Very  good  food  fish  are  caught  outside.  Among  them  I 
noticed  "  el  capitan,"  a  fish  much  like  our  scup,  about  a  pound  and 
a  half  in  weight,  and  with  red  pectoral  and  ventral  fins,  and  the 
"  king  fish,"  eight  or  nine  pounds  in  weight,  a  species  of  mack- 
erel of  a  uniform  dark  color.  Of  the  shellfish,  I  saw  quantities  of 
sand  fiddlers,  a  few  crabs  of  larger  size,  deep  mahogany  red  with 
Avhite  claws,  and  some  large  lobsters,  much  like  ours  but  without 
the  two  big  claws  and  with  very  long  antenucie.  There  are  said  to 
be  some  rabbits  on  the  island  and  a  few  snakes,  but  we  saw  none. 

The  natives  here  have  a  peculiar  way  of  hitching  two  donkeys  to 
a  cart.  One  is  put  between  the  shafts,  whilst  the  other  has  no  other 
harness  than  a  loop  around  its  neck,  one  end  of  which  is  tied  to  the 
nearest  shaft.  Oxen  are  not  yoked  as  with  us,  but  a  cross-bar  is 
lashed  to  their  horns,  the  weight  thus  coming  just  on  their  fore- 
heads.    It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Friday,  July  29,  1892.  As  the  Venezuela  was  to  leave  in  the 
afternoon,  we  were  busy  all  the  morning,  cleaning  our  guns  and  giv- 
ing a  final  packing  to  our  baggage.  We  finally  went  aboard  about 
two  o'clock,  but  it  was  not  until  after  six  that  we  left  the  harbor 
and  headed  for  La  Guayra.  We  had  supper  immediately  after  get- 
ting outside,  and  when  we  came  up  on  deck  afterwards  it  had 
grown  dark,  and  the  island  of  Curagao  had  faded  from  our  view. 
It  was  clear  and  hot. 

Saturday,  July  30,  1892.  When  I  went  out  on  deck  this  morn- 
ing we  were  within  a  few  miles  of  La  Gur^yra.  The  view  was  beau- 
tiful. The  town  lay  on  a  narrow  strip  of  land  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  that  rose  abruptly  from  the  sea  until  its  top  was  hidden 
from  us  by  clouds.  A  few  houses  above  the  town  were  actually 
built  in  niches  which  had  been  excavated  to  receive  them.  To  oiu- 
right  we  could  trace  by  the  cuttings  the  railroad  winding  its  way  up 
to  Caracas  ;  to  our  left  lay  the  main  portion  of  the  town,  above  which 


CUBAgAO  AGAIN.  147 

was  seen  the  roof  of  the  bull-fig-hting  arena,  and  higher  up  on  the 
mountain-side  a  Uttle  pill-box  of  a  fort.  There  was  a  Venezuelan 
man-of-war  in  the  harbor,  a  dirty  little  steamer  about  the  size  of  the 
average  steam  yacht.  We  tied  up  alongside  a  strong-looking  pier 
and  breakwater  of  concrete  and  iron,  out  upon  which  ran  the  tracks 
of  the  railroad,  a  narrow-gauge  road  with  English  cars  and  locomo- 
tives, the  passenger  coaches  looking  like  a  second-hand  summer 
street  car.  Shortly  after  we  had  tied  up,  Cabell  and  I  took  a  short 
walk  up  into  the  town.  We  found  it  indescribably  filthy  and  bad 
smelling,  the  stores  dirty,  narrow,  dark,  and  overhung-  with  cob- 
webs. There  was  an  air  of  general  stagnation  of  business,  due  no 
doubt  to  the  revolution  then  in  progress.  There  is  a  fine  stream 
tumbling  down  the  mountain  through  the  centre  of  the  town.  It  is 
walled  in  on  either  side.  We  found  the  heat  so  oppressive  that  we 
soon  returned  to  the  ship.  On  the  wharf  we  were  much  interested 
in  seeing  the  fishermen  come  in.  They  go  out  to  sea  in  little  cockle- 
shell dug-outs  of  a  different  design  from  those  used  at  Barranquilla. 
These  are  skiff -shaped,  ride  very  high  in  the  water  with  both  ends 
clear,  and  are  painted.  The  fishermen  squat  on  the  bottom  in  the 
middle  of  the  boat,  and,  using  a  single-bladed  paddle  which  they 
change  from  side  to  side  about  every  third  stroke,  they  skim  swiftly 
over  the  water.  They  brought  in  some  fine  fish,  some  that  I  rec- 
ognized, others  that  I  did  not.  Among  them  were  several  fine  red 
snappers  and  Spanish  mackerel ;  some  fish  of  the  mackerel  species, 
about  a  yard  long,  with  heavy  teeth  and  of  a  uniform  dark  color 
[Cero  s]).);  some  perch-like  fish  with  yellow  longitudinal  stripes 
(PomacentriLS  s^J.) ;  a  small  brown  fish  very  like  our  chogset,  but 
with  circular  dots  of  sky-blue  all  over  its  body  {Ilanmilon  sp.) ;  a 
few  small  flat  fish,  and  an  eel,  broad  and  thin,  brown  with  light 
yellow  dots,  a  wide  opening  mouth  with  vicious-looking  teeth 
(gen.  Murcena).  The  water  was  marvelously  clear,  and  looking  over 
from  the  pier  Ave  saw  some  of  the  most  beautiful  fish  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  There  were  some  little  fish  marked  with  broad  black 
and  yellow  bars  like  a  sheepshead,  some  fool-fish  {Alutera  s^j.),  and 


148 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE    TROPICS. 


some  of  the  brilliant  yellow  and  black  ones  like  the  one  that  I  saw 
in  Curagao ;  but  the  most  beautiful  of  all  was  what  the  men  on  the 
wharf  called  "  loro,"  or  parrot.  As  well  as  I  could  see,  it  was  of 
the  same  shape  as  the  black  and  yellow  ones,  its  head  and  neck  a 
vivid  blue,  its  body  light  green,  its  tail  a  golden  yellow,  and  its  fins 
tipped  with  pink  (family  Scar  idee).     We  had  some  flying-fish  for 


RED    SNAPPER. 


breakfast  on  the  steamer.  They  taste  a  little  like  smelts,  but  are 
dry.  Whilst  we  were  watching  the  fish  a  frigate  pelican  hovered 
over  our  heads  for  some  time,  coming  at  times  within  thirty  yards 
of  us  so  that  we  had  a  good  view  of  it.  The  small  boys  on  the 
wharf  Avere  catching  great  numbers  of  the  little  fish  that  were  so 
abundant  at  Curagao  {Trachurojjs),  We  left  La  Guayra  about 
eleven  o'clock,  and  headed  north.  The  vessel  ran  steadily,  and  I 
fortunately  escaped  seasickness.  Before  sunset  we  passed  Los 
Roques. 

The  rest  of  our  trip  was  uneventful.  The  sea  remained  as  quiet 
as  a  mill-pond,  and  we  made  fine  runs  of  nearly  340  miles  per  day. 
Among  the  passengers  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  our  consul 
from  Curagao,  Captain  L.  B.  Smith,  a  most  agreeable  gentleman, 
whom  I  will  always  regret  not  having  met  during  our  stay  on  the 


CURACAO  AGAIN.  149 

island.  This  oentleman  told  me  that  but  a  few  days  before  he  had 
seen  a  barn-owl  that  was  caught  near  the  town  (probably  Strix 
flammea  bar  get,  Hartert).  He  also  told  me  that  on  the  island  of 
Bonaire  there  were  many  flamingoes.  It  is  to  his  enterprise  that 
the  town  owes  the  drawbridge  across  the  harbor,  its  ice-machine, 
and  othei"  improvements.  Since  my  visit  he  has  sunk  five  artesian 
wells  upon  his  place.  Planter's  Rust,  the  combined  production  of 
which  is  87,000  gallons  of  water  of  excellent  quality  per  day. 
This  will  prove  a  godsend  to  the  island,  as  only  those  who  have 
been  there  can  form  an  idea  of  the  great  importance  of  this  water 
supply. 

We  made  the  Mona  Passage  on  Sunday  afternoon.  On  Tuesday 
a  turnstone  flew  around  us  several  times  and  finally  went  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  Bermudas.  On  the  following  day  a  small  warbler 
lit  on  the  upper  deck  among  the  life-boats,  but  I  could  not  find  it. 
On  Thursday  we  saw  several  schools  of  blackfish  and  a  whale. 
At  sundoAvn  Ave  saw  the  Barnegat  Light,  and  about  eleven  o'clock 
we  came  to  anchor  off  quarantine.  At  half  past  eight  on  Friday 
morning,  August  5,  we  landed  in  Brooklyn,  and  our  trip  was  at  an 
end. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

RESULTS    OF   THE    TRIP. 

We  had  been  gone  from  New  York  just  fifty-four  clays.  In  that 
time  we  had  been  sixteen  days  on  the  ocean,  twelve  days  on  the 
Mag'dalena,  and  three  days  on  the  mule  road  ;  that  is,  we  were  trav- 
eling thirty-one  days.  Exclusive  of  the  shooting  that  we  did 
during  the  stops  of  the  river  steamer,  Cabell  and  I  had  been  out 
together  with  our  guns  ten  times,  and  he  had  been  out  three  times 
alone.  We  brought  back  210  skins.  I  give  below  lists  of  the 
birds  that  I  observed  in  Colombia  and  in  Curagao.  Mr.  Robert 
Ridgway  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  has  been  kind  enough  to 
identify  the  skins  for  me  and  also  to  assist  me  greatly  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  accompanying  lists.  The  names  of  those  birds  identi- 
fied beyond  a  doubt  are  printed  in  small  capitals,  whilst  those  which 
are  at  all  doubtful  are  printed  in  italics.  References  after  notes 
refer  to  colored  plates  of  the  bird. 

BIRDS   OBSERVED   IN   COLOMBIA,   SOUTH   AMERICA. 

1.  Phaethusa  magnirostris  (Light.).     Large-billed  Tern. 

Abundant  on  the  Magdalena  from  Barranquilla  to  above 
Puerto  Berrio.  We  often  saw  as  many  as  a  hundred  standing 
together  on  some  of  the  low  sand  bars,  and  sometimes  a  dozen 
or  more  would  float  by  us  on  a  piece  of  driftwood. 

2.  Anhinga  anhinga  (Linn.).     Snake  Bird. 

I  saw  a  dozen  or  more  of  these  along  the  Magdalena,  but 
never  more  than  two  together.      They  were  usually  flying,  but  a 


RESULTS    OF  THE   TRIE.  151 

few  were  seen  peiclied  on  dead  snags.      And.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  G, 
pi.  420. 

3.  riiahicrocorax  vUjua  (  Vie'tU.)  ?     Brazilian  Cormorant. 

A  good  many  small  cormorants  were  seen  flying  over  the 
marshes  at  Barranquilla,  but  as  I  did  not  get  a  specimen,  1 
am  doubtful  about  the  identiiication.  U.  S.  Astron.  Exj^ed.  to 
Chili  and  Peru. 

4.  Pelecanus  fuscus  (Linn.).     Brown  Pelican. 

These  were  the  first  Inrds  that  we  saw  as  we  approached  our 
anchorao'e  oft"  the  Colombian  coast.  We  saw  laro-e  flocks  of 
them  around  the  seashore,  but  none  in  the  interior.  The  Spanish 
name  is  "alcatraz."     Aud.  B.  of  i\^.  A.  vol.  7,  ppl.  423,  424. 

5.  Caikixa  moschata  (Linn.).     Muscovy  Duck. 

These  ducks  Avere  seen  continually  from  Barrancpiilla  to  Avithin 
a  short  distance  of  Yeguas,  sometimes  in  enormous  flocks.  They 
often  lit  in  trees  when  first  disturbed  by  the  steamer.  The 
native  name  is  "  pato  real,"  royal  duck.  I  also  saw  ducks  of 
other  species,  but  could  not  identify  them  ;  among  them  two  species 
of  Dendrocygna. 
G.  Ajaja  ajaja  (Linn.).     Roseate  Spoonbill. 

We  saw  a  few  small  flocks  of  these  lovely  birds  at  different 
places  along  the  river.  The  largest  contained  six  individuals. 
Aud.  B.  of  JV.  A.  vol.  G,  pi.  3G2. 

7.  Phimosus  infuscatus   (Light.).     Dusky  Ibis. 

Mr.  Ridgway  identifies  my  description  of  the  two  shot  at 
Barranquilla  as  belonging  to  this  species.  I  failed  to  save  their 
skins.  We  saw  a  number  at  Barranquilla,  but  few  higher  up  the 
river.     I  saw  some  carrying  sticks  for  nests  on  June  22. 

8.  Tantalus  loculator  (Linn.).     Wood  Ibis. 

These  were  seen  in  great  numbers  along  the  river,  especially 
along  the  central  portion.  When  suddenly  disturbed  they  flew 
off  irregulai-ly  in  different  directions,  but  when  traveling  they 
kept  together  in  strings.  They  usually  flew  with  heavy  wing- 
beats,  but  I  saw  many  soaring  at  a  great  height  with  motionless 
wings.     Aud.  B.  of  J\\  A.  vol.  G,  pi.  3G1. 


152  A   FLYING   TBIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 

9.  MyCTERIA    AMERICANA  (LlNN.).       Jabil'U. 

I  saw  only  two  of  these  large  birds,  and  tliey  were  on  the 
lower  river.  I  thought  that  they  were  a  species  of  ibis,  as  they 
flew  in  just  the  same  Avay,  with  their  necks  extended  instead  of 
doubled  back  like  the  herons.  Their  plumage  is  snowy  white ; 
the  beak,  head,  and  legs  black.  The  native  name  is  "  cabeza 
negra,"  black  head. 

10.  Ardea  cocoi  (Linn.).     Cocoi  Heron. 

Seen  abundantly  at  every  point  along  the  Magdalena.  This 
bird  is  very  much  like  our  great  blue  heron,  but  has  more  white 
below,  and  the  entire  crown  is  black.  The  Spanish  name  for 
heron  is  "  garza." 

11.  Ardea  egretta  (Gmel.).     White  Egret. 

I  saw  a  great  many  of  these  birds  along  the  river,  though  they 
were  by  no  means  as  abundant  as  the  preceding  species.  We 
sometimes  saw  them  in  small  flocks,  but  rarely  saw  more  than 
two  of  the  cocoi  herons  flying  together.  Aud.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol. 
6,  pi.  370. 

12.  Ardea  candidissima  (Gmel.).     Snowy  Heron. 

These  beautiful  little  birds  were  by  far  the  commonest  of  the 
herons.  We  saw  them  continually,  and  at  some  places  the  muddy 
edgfes  of  the  river  were  lined  with  them.  Towards  nio-htfall 
they  flew  overhead,  going  to  their  roosting-places  in  large  flocks. 
Aud.  B.  ofN.  A.  vol.  6,  pi.  374. 

13.  Butorides  cyanurus  (Vieill.).     Blue-tailed  Heron. 

I  saw  a  good  many  of  these  in  the  marshes  near  Barranquilla, 
and  I  shot  one  ;  but  unfortunately  it  was  stolen  by  a  cat  before 
I  had  skinned  it.     They  are  smaller  than  our  green  heron,  but 
similar. 
M.  loNORNis  MARTINICA  (LiNN.).     Purple  Gallinule. 

I  saw  a  few  in  the  marshes  at  Barranquilla,  and  wounded  one, 
but  failed  to  get  it.     Aud.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  5,  pi.  303. 
15.  HiMANTOPUS  MEXiCANUS  (MuLL.).     Black-necked  Stilt. 

From  the  train  I  saw  several  pairs  of  these  birds  wading  in 


RESULTS   OF  THE   TBIF.  153 

some  pools  a  few  miles  below  Barraiiquilla.  I  saw  them  both  in 
June  and  in  the  latter  part  of  July.  Aud.  B.  of  JSf.  A.  vol.  G, 
pi.  354. 

16.  Ja^axa  nigra  (Gmel.).     Black  Jagana. 

These  birds  were  abundant  in  the  marshes  around  Barran- 
quilla,  especially  where  there  were  lily  pads  floating  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  They  were  very  noisy,  and  often  held  their 
wings  up  vertically,  as  some  snipe  do,  as  if  stretching.  I  saw 
some  with  their  under  parts  lighter  colored,  probably  young. 

17.  EupsYCHORTYX  LEUCOTis  (GouLi)).     Wliitc-eared  Partridge. 

The  two  killed  by  my  brother  at  Guaduas  were  identified  by 
JNIr.  Ridgway  as  belonging  to  this  species.  We  saw  numbers  of 
partridges  at  Guaduas,  at  Honda,  and  at  Barrancpiilla,  but  did 
not  succeed  in  getting  others,  so  cannot  tell  if  they  were  all  of 
the  same  species  or  not.  We  found  it  impossible  to  flush  them  a 
second  time ;  and  it  so  happened  that  whenever  we  got  shots, 
our  guns  were  loaded  with  dust  shot,  so  we  failed  to  stop  the 
birds.  At  Barranquilla  I  heard  partridges  uttering  the  familiar 
call  "  bob-white."     Gould,  Man.  of  Odoutoplionna'. 

18.  Stegnolama  monfagnii  (Uonaj^.)?     "  Guacharaca." 

I  saw  one  of  these  domesticated  at  Honda,  and  lower  on  the 
river  I  saw  a  small  flock  in  the  edge  of  the  forest.  The  identifi- 
cation is  from  my  meagre  description,  and  therefore  is  very 
doubtful. 

19.  Chauna  derbiana  (Gray).     Colombian  Screamer. 

We  saw  a  few  of  these  birds  on  the  lower  Magdalena.  They 
were  either  perched  in  the  tops  of  dead  trees,  or  walking  about 
on  the  ground  like  turkeys.  I  saw  a  pair  domesticated.  They 
kei)t  Avith  the  poultry,  and  walked  about  in  a  very  slow  and  dig- 
nified manner.     PI.  11,  P.  Z.  S.  1861. 

20.  CoLUMBA  RUFINA  (Temm.).     Grecu-naped  Pigeon. 

I  shot  a  fine  specimen  on  the  INIagdalena,  and  my  brother 
killed  a  second  one  at  Guaduas.  These  were  the  only  ones  that 
I  saw. 


154  A   FLYING   TRIP    TO  THE    TROPICS. 

21.  Zenaida  ruficauda  (Bonap.).     Rufous-tailed  Dove. 

We  killed  a  couple  of  these  doves  at  Honda,  both  of  which 
were  males ;  and  we  saw  them  frequently  during  our  stay  at  that 
place. 

22.  COLUMBIGALLINA    PASSERINA    (LiNN.).       Gl'Oimd  Dove. 

We  found  this  little  dove  common  at  Barranquilla,  Honda, 
and  Guaduas.  When  running-  along  on  the  roads,  they  carry 
their  tails  held  up  very  prettily.  Aud.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  5,  pi. 
283. 

23.  COLUMBIGALLINA      RUFIPENNIS      (BoNAP.).  RufoUS      GrOUnd 

Dove. 
We  saw  a  few  of  these  at  Barranquilla  and  at  Honda.     They 
are  not  so  abundant  as  the  preceding  species. 

24.  Gypagus  papa  (Linn.).     King  Vulture. 

We  saw  three  individuals  on  the  Magdalena  a  short  distance 
above  Barranquilla.  They  were  all  perched  in  dead  trees,  which 
grew  in  overflowed  marshes.     Descourtilz,  Orn.  BresiUenne. 

25.  Cathaetes  aura  (Linn.).     Turkey-buzzard. 

Common  at  Barranquilla,  Honda,  and  Guaduas,  but  not  so 
abundant  as  the  following  species.  Aud.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  1, 
pi.  2. 

26.  Catharista  atrata  (Bartr.).     Black  Vulture. 

Very  abundant  at  every  point  that  we  visited  in  Colombia. 
They  collect  in  immense  numbers  around  slaughter-houses,  and 
on  sand  bars  in  the  river  when  they  observe  a  fisherman  cleaning 
his  catch.     Aud.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  1,  pi.  3. 

27.  RosTRHAMus  sociABiLis  (ViEiLL.).     Everglade  Kite. 

These  Avere  very  abiuidant  at  Barranquilla,  and  flew  about 
over  the  marshes  just  as  do  our  marsh-hawks.  Baird,  Cassin  & 
Lawrence,  B.  of  N.  A.  pi.  65. 

28.  RUPORNIS    MAGNIROSTRLS    (GmeL.). 

My  brother  killed  one  at  Guaduas,  wdiich  was  the  only  one 
that  I  saw.  The  natives  called  it  a  "  garrapatero,"  or  tick-eater ; 
but  they  apply  this  name  to  the  milvago  and  also  to  the  ani. 


EESULTS    OF  THE   TBI  P.  155 

29.  Heterosphkiii  merhliouaJis  (Lath.)  ?     Rufous  Buzzard. 

Mr.  Ridgway  identities  thus  the  large  iiit'ous-winoed  hawks 
that  I  saw  over  the  grassy  meadows  at  Yeguas.  Having  nothing 
but  my  description  to  go  by,  I  have  indicated  the  identification 
as  doubtfuL 

30.  Falco  spari'ey'ius  {Luiii.)  ?     Sparrow-hawk. 

The  remarks  for  the  preceding  species  apply  to  this.  Those 
that  I  saw  from  the  train  above  Yeguas  were  near  enough  to 
distinguish  the  crescent  marks  on  the  head,  and  to  all  appear- 
ances were  the  same  as  our  species.  Aud.  JJ.  of  JV.  A.  vol.  1, 
pi.  22. 

31.  Polyhorus  cheriway  (Jacq.)  ?     Audubon's  Caracara. 

This  large  carrion  hawk  I  saw  at  a  number  of  places  along  the 
river,  and  on  our  down  trip  my  brother  shot  a  young  one  in  poor 
plumage ;  but  it  stunk  so  from  its  last  meal  that  I  did  not  skin 
it.     Aud.  JJ.  ofjSr.  A.  vol.  1,  pi.  4. 

32.  MiLVAGO  CHiMACHiMA  (ViEiLL.).     "  Cliimachima." 

This  carrion  hawk  was  common  around  Barranquilla  and  at 
other  points  higher  up  the  river.  They  were  noisy,  and,  whilst 
utterino'  their  cries,  held  their  heads  back  until  it  seemed  that 
they  would  topple  over  backwards. 

33.  Pandion  hali^tus  carolinensis  (Gmel.).     Fish-hawk. 

I  saw  a  few  fish-hawks  along  the  upper  JNIagdalena.  Aud.  /A 
ofN.  A.  vol.  1,  pi.  15. 

34.  Bubo  mexicanus  (Gmel.).     Striped  Horned  Owl. 

My  brother  shot  one  that  was  roosting  in  some  thick  coffee 
plants  at  Guaduas. 

35.  Ara  ararauna  (Lixn.).     Blue  and  Yellow  Macaw. 

This  Avas  by  far  the  commonest  macaw  seen,  and  was  abundant 
as  far  up  the  ^lagdalena  as  Yeguas,  where  the  heavy  forest 
ended.  Their  discordant  cries  woke  us  in  the  mornings,  and  we 
saw  many  of  them  fiying  to  roost  just  before  sunset.  I  saAv  a 
partly  fledged  one  at  Mompos  on  June  25.  Descourtilz,  Orn. 
BrtslL 


156  A   FLYING   Tit  IP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 

36.  Ara  MACAO  (Linn.).     Red  and  Yellow  Macaw. 

I  saw  in  the  market  at  Barranquilla  an  Indian  with  one  of 
these  macaws,  and  was  told  that  it  had  been  caught  a  short  dis- 
tance up  the  river. 

37.  Ara  chlovoptera  {Gray)l     Blue  and  Red  Macaw. 

I  saw  frequently  along  the  river  a  large  macaw,  blue,  green, 
and  scarlet,  but  without  yelloAv  on  the  wings.  It  may  possibly  be 
of  this  species.     The  general  name  for  macaw  is  "  Guacamayo." 

38.  Ara  severa  (Linn.).     Severe  Macaw. 

I  saw  but  the  two  specimens  which  I  shot  on  June  28. 
Descourtilz,  Orn.  Bres'd. 

39.  CoNURUS  ^RUGiNOSUS  (LiNN.).     Gray-faccd  Parrakeet. 

This  parrakeet  was  extremely  abundant  around  Barranquilla ; 
but  I  did  not  see  it  higher  up  the  river.  Flocks  flew  over  the 
town  in  a  steady  stream  about  daybreak,  and  just  before  sunset. 

40.  Brotogerys  jugularis  (Deville).    Orange-chinned  Parrakeet. 

I  saw  large  flocks  of  this  parrakeet  all  along  the  Magdalena 
as  high  up  as  Honda. 

41.  PsiTTACULA  CONSPICILLATA  (Lafr.).     Blue-rumped  Parrakeet. 

This  little  parrakeet  I  saw  along  the  upper  portion  of  the 
Magdalena,  in  some  cases  associated  with  flocks  of  the  preceding 
species.  They  were  common  at  Guaduas.  They  fly  just  like 
English  sparroAvs.     PI.  in  this  work. 

42.  PiONUS  menstruus  (Linn.).     Blue-headed  Parrot. 

I  saw  this  parrot  only  once,  when  Mr.  Lindauer  shot  one  out 
of  a  small  flock.     This  was  not  far  below  Yeguas. 

43.  Amazona  jKmamensis  (Cah.)?     Common  Green  Parrot. 

I  saw  everywhere  at  Barranquilla,  Honda,  and  Guaduas  in  the 
huts  of  the  natives  a  green  parrot  with  yellow  forehead  and 
scarlet  wing  edgings.  It  was  probably  of  this  species,  though, 
as  I  obtained  no  specimen,  I  have  marked  it  doubtful. 

44.  CrotojyJiaga  sulcirostris  (Swains.)  ?     Grooved-bill  Ani. 

I  saw  these  birds  in  abundance  at  Barranquilla,  Honda,  and 
Guaduas  ;  but  though  I  shot  several,  they  were  all  in  poor  plu- 


RESULTS   OF  THE   TBIP.  157 

mage,  so  I  brought  back  no  specimens,  and  am  now  doubtful 
Avhether  they  were  of  this  species  or  C.  ant.  I  saw  them  feeding 
on  the  swarms  of  grasshoppers  at  Honda,  and  I  had  two  of  their 
eoo's  p'iven  to  me  on  June  28. 

or?     o 

45.  Ramphastos  citkeol^mus  (Gould).    Citron-breasted  Toucan. 

The  first  one  that  I  saw  was  killed  by  Mr.  Lindauer  on  June 
30,  Along  the  river  near  this  phice  I  saw  several  others.  The 
peacock-blue  color  of  their  eyes  is  peculiar.  I  saw  at  La  Guayra 
a  species  of  cagique  Avitli  similarly  colored  eyes.  Gould,  Jlon. 
of  Iimiipliastidcv. 

46.  Ramphastos  ambiguus  (Swains.).     Green-faced  Toucan. 

I  saw  a  large  flock  of  these  toucans  at  Puerto  Berrio,  but  our 
steamer  stopped  there  such  a  short  time  that  I  killed  only  one. 
Gould,  Mon.  of  Rfmrphastida'. 

47.  Pteroglossus  torquatus  (Gmel.).     Collared  Aragari. 

I  shot  two  of  these  and  saw  five  or  six  others  on  the  Mairda- 
lena  a  short  distance  below  Yeguas.  Gould,  Mon.  of  Ilmnph(i>i- 
tida\ 

48.  Bucco  RUFicoLLis  (Wagl.).     Rufous-throated  Puff  Bird. 

I  saw  a  good  many  of  these  near  Barranquilla,  and  a  few 
higher  up  the  river.  They  sit  quietly  on  a  dead  twig,  and  look 
much  like  small  kingfishers.  Sclater,  Mon.  of  Jacamars  and 
Pnff  Birds,  ]A.  29. 

49.  Bucco  subtectus  (Scl.).     Narrow-banded  Pulf  Bird. 

I  saw  but  the  one  specimen  that  my  brother  shot  on  June  28 
on  the  lower  Magdalena.     Sclater's  Monofjrapli,  pi.  27. 

50.  Galbula  ruficauda  (Cuv.).     Rufous-tailed  Jacamar. 

I  saw  about  a  half  dozen  of  these  birds  on  the  Magdalena. 
They  sit  about  quietly  like  kingfishers.  My  brother  saw  at 
Consuelo  a  jacamar  which  he  described  as  larger  and  brilliantly 
colored,  but  we  did  not  get  a  specimen.  This  was  probably 
Jdcaniarops  (/randis.     Sclater's  Monot/raph,  pi.  4. 

51.  Ceryle  torquata  (Linn.).     Great  Rufous-bellied  Kingfisher. 

52.  Ceryle  amazona  (Lath.).     Amazonian  Green  Kingfisher. 


158  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TEOPICS. 

53.  Ceryle  AMERICANA  (Gmel.).     Brazilian  Green  Kingfisher. 

These  three  kino-fishers  we  found  abundant  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Maofdalena  until  we  left  the  river  at  Honda.  The  last  was 
not  so  common  as  the  first  two ;  but  we  found  it  at  Guaduas, 
where  we  did  not  see  the  others.  Sharpe,  Man.  of  the  AJcedi- 
nidce,  vol.  1. 

54.  Centurus  terricolor  (V.  Berl.).    Berlepsch's  Woodpecker. 

My  brother  shot  a  specimen  at  Guaduas,  where  I  also  saw  sev- 
eral. I  saw  one  enter  a  hole  in  a  dead  tree,  so  it  was  probably 
nesting'.  At  Barranquilla  and  at  Honda  I  saw  various  wood- 
peckers, but  did  not  obtain  specimens. 

55.  Stenopsis  ruficervix  (Scl.).     Rufous-necked  Goat-sucker. 

We  found  a  small  flock  of  these  among  some  stunted  bushes 
near  Barranquilla,  and  obtained  two  females.  PI.  14,  P.  Z.  S. 
186G. 

56.  Nyctidromus  albicollis  (Gmel.).     "  Parauque." 

I  saw  but  the  one  which  I  shot  on  the  Magdalena  on  June  28. 
At  night,  along  the  river,  we  often  heard  the  cries  of  various 
night-birds,  some  of  them  very  like  our  "  whip-poor-will." 

57.  Nyctibius  grandis  (Gmel.).     Grand  Potoo. 

I  saw  but  the  one  which  my  brother  shot  below  Yeguas  on 
July  16. 

58.  Glaucis  hirsuta  (Gmel.). 

I  saw  a  good  many  of  these  humming-birds  along  the  river. 
They  were  in  the  heavy  forests,  and  fed  on  the  blossoms  of  a 
species  of  canna  which  grew  in  the  glades  near  the  water.  A 
female  that  I  shot  on  June  28  had  white  feathers  scattered  about 
among  the  green  of  the  back.  On  the  same  day  I  found  one  of 
their  nests,  but  it  did  not  contain  eggs.  It  was  woven  to  the 
swinging  tip  of  a  plantain  leaf.  Humming-birds.  Gould's  Mono- 
(jrapli. 

59.  Ph^thornis  superciliosus  (Linn.). 

I  saw  two  or  three  in  Guaduas,  and  shot  one  which  was  in 
poor  plumage. 


RESULTS  OF  THE   TRIP.  159 

60.  Lampornls  nigricollis  (Vieill.).    Black-throated  Hummino'- 

bird. 
We  found  this  bird  common  in  Gnaduas. 

61.  Hypuroptila  buffoni  (Less.).     Bullon's  Humming-bird. 

We  obtained  four  or  live  si)ecimens  at  Guaduas. 

62.  AcESTRURA  MULSANTi  (BouRc).     Mulsant's  Hummiug-bird. 

63.  AcESTRURA  HELiODORi  (BouRc).     HeHodore's  Humming-bird. 

These  two  species  were  about  equally  common  at  Guaduas. 
From  their  small  size  they  were  very  difficult  to  find  when  they 
fell  in  the  underbrush. 

64.  Chrysolampis  moschitus  (Linn.).     Ruby   and  Topaz  Hum- 

ming-bird. 
We  found  this  species  abundant  at  Guaduas.   The  f ull-plumaged 
male  was  the  most  beautiful  humming-bird  that  we  met. 

65.  Amazilia  fuscicaudata  (Fraser).     Rieffer's  Humming-bird. 

I  met  with  this  species  at  two  points  on  the  Magdalena  and  at 
Guaduas,  getting  four  specimens. 
QiOf.  Amazilia    cyanifrons    (Bourc).     Blue -fronted   Humming- 
bird. 
My  brother  shot  one  at  Guaduas. 

67.  Damophila  JULIA  (Bourc).     Julia's  Humming-bird. 

We  obtained  a  number  of  specimens  at  Guaduas. 

68.  POLYERATA    AMABILIS    (GoULD). 

I  saw  but  the  one  specimen  which  1  shot  at  Puerto  Berrio  on 
the  river.  It  had  a  nest  placed  on  top  of  a  branch  in  the  same 
way  that  our  ruby-throat  builds. 

69.  Cyanophaia  goudoti  (Bourc).     Goudot's  Humming-bird. 
I  obtained  four  specimens  at  one  place  on  the  lower  river. 

70.  Chlorostilbon     angustipennis    (Fraser).      Narrow-winged 

Humming-bird. 

I  obtained  a  specimen  at  Barranquilla,  and  found  it  abundant 
at  Guaduas. 

Humming-birds  were  very  abundant  at  Guaduas,  l)ut  rarely 
until  the  bird  was  shot  could  I  tell  wdiat  was  the  species.     They 


160  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TBOPICS. 

could  be  seen  buzzing  about  in  the  treetops,  but  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  recognize  them,  unless  they  were  of  peculiar  shape 
or  size.  My  brother  saw  one  at  Guaduas  which  he  described  as 
havinof  a  scarlet  back. 

71.  MiLVULUs  TYRANNUs  (LiNN.).     Fork-tailcd  Flycatcher. 

I  saw  a  few  at  Guaduas  and  a  good  many  at  Honda.  Their 
flight  was  extremely  graceful.  And.  Jj.  of  JY.  A.  vol.  1, 
pi.  52. 

72.  Tyrannus  melancholicus  (Vieill.).    Melancholy  Flycatcher. 

73.  Myiozetetes  cayennensis  (Linn.).     Cayenne  Flycatcher. 

These  flycatchers  were  common  all  along  from  Barranquilla  to 
Honda,  and  around  Guaduas. 
71.  Megarliynchus  j^itangiia  {Linn.)  ?     Pitangua  Flycatcher. 

The  large-billed,  rufous,  and  yellow  flycatcher  which  we  got  at 
Barranquilla  was  probably  of  this  species ;  but  as  I  did  not  bring 
back  a  specimen,  I  have  marked  it  doubtful. 

75.  Fluvicola  pica  (Bodd.).     Pied  Flycatcher. 

This  conspicuous  little  bird  was  abundant  in  the  marshes  around 
Barranquilla,  and  I  saw  others  at  points  higher  up  the  river. 

76.  Xanthosomus     icterocephalus    (Linn.).      Yellow  -  headed 

Blackbird. 
I  saw  large  flocks  of  this  bird  around  Barranquilla. 

77.  Icterus  icterus  (Linn.).     Troupial. 

I  saw  troupials  in  confinement  at  many  places  along  the  Mag- 
dalena  and  at  Guaduas,  but  none  in  a  state  of  freedom.  And. 
B.  of  JSr.  A.  vol.  7,  pi.  499. 

78.  Icterus  xanthornus  (Gmel.).     Yellow  Oriole. 

Common  at  Barranquilla. 

79.  Cassicus  flavicrissus  (Scl.).     Yellow-vented  Cagique. 

80.  OsTiNOPS  DECUMANUS  (Pall.).     "  Oro  peudola." 

81.  Gymnostinops  guatimozinus  (Bonap.).     "  Oro  pendola." 

We  got  one  specimen  of  each  of  the  foregoing  species  on  the 
Magdalena  on  June  28.  Higher  up  the  river  we  saw  many  strug- 
gling flocks  of  the  two  last.     Fauna  Biologla  Centr.  Amer. 


RESULTS   OF  THE   TRIP.  161 

82.  QuiscALUS  ASSiMiLis  (ScL.).     Colombian  Graclde. 

This  large  grackle  was  abundant  around  Bairanquilla,  and 
often  lit  in  the  cocoa  palms  that  grew  in  the  hotel  yard.  They 
may  have  had  nests  in  these  palms,  but  from  seeing  one  with  an 
iniliedged  young  bird  in  its  beak,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
they  were  robbing  the  nests  of  smaller  birds. 

83.  Sycalis  COLUMBIANA  (Cab.).     Red-froutcd  Finch. 

I  saw  a  few  of  these  near  Barranquilla.  In  our  hotel  there 
was  one  caged  Avhicli  sang  very  well. 

81.    VOLATINIA  SPLENDENS  (BONAP.).       BluC-black  Fiucll. 

I  saw  but  the  one  specimen  which  I  shot  near  Barranquilla. 

85.  Ramphocelus  dimidiatus  (Lafr.).     Cardinal  Tanager. 

This  tanager  was  abundant  all  along  the  Magdalena  and  at 
Guaduas.  The  native  name  is  "  cardinal."  Macj,  de  ZooJ. 
1837,  pi.  SI. 

86.  Ramphocelus  icteronotus  (Bonap.).    Yellow-rumped  Tana- 

I  saw  but  the  one  wliich  I  shot  at  Puerto  Berrio. 

87.  Taxagra  can  a  (Swaixs.).     Blue  Tanager. 

This  tanager  is  common  and  I  found  it  from  Barranquilla  to 
Honda  and  at  Guaduas.  I  observed  a  nest  with  eggs  nearly 
hatched  at  Barranquilla  in  June.  The  native  name  is  "  azulejo," 
bluebird. 

88.  Tachyphoxus     melaleucus     (Sparrm.).      White-shouldered 

Tanager. 
I  saw  several  at  Guaduas,  and  my  brother  shot  one. 

89.  EuPHONiA  CRASSiROSTRis  (ScL.)     Tliick-biUed  Euphonia. 

I  saw  but  the  one  specimen  which  my  brother  shot  on  the 
Magdalena  on  June  28. 

90.  PiPRA  AURiCAPiLLA  (LiCHT.).     Gold-lieaded  Manikin. 

I  saw  but  the  one  specimen  shot  on  the  Magdalena  by  Mr. 
Lindauer  on  June  29. 

91.  Tachi/ciiicta  alhiventris  {Bodcl.)  ?     White-winged  Swallow. 
The  little  swallow  that  I  saw  along   the  Magdalena  may  be  of 


162 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO    THE  TROPICS. 


this  species.     I  thought,  however,  that  the  body  of   the  bird  was 

white  and  the  wings  black,  and  therefore  I  leave  it  doubtful. 

The  birds  which  I  observed  but  did  not  identify  would,  I  think, 
exceed  the  above  list.  Among  them  were  two  terns,  two  ducks,  two 
or  three  herons,  several  sand  snipe  and  plover,  pigeons,  many  hawks, 
an  owl,  jjarrots,  a  toucan,  several  woodpeckers,  humming-birds, 
many  flycatchers,  several  orioles,  finches,  warblers,  swallows, 
thrushes,  and  many  wrens. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  humming-birds  sent  to  me  from 
Bogota  by  Mr.  Child  :  — 


1. 

Glands  hlrsnta. 

20. 

2. 

Plisethornis  einilise. 

21. 

3. 

Phtetlioriils  anthopliilus. 

22. 

4. 

Campyloptei'iis  lazulus. 

23. 

5. 

Lafresnaya  flavicaudata. 

24. 

6. 

Hypuroptila  buffoni. 

25. 

7. 

Floiisuga  mellivora. 

26. 

8. 

Petaspliora  anais. 

27. 

9. 

Petasphora  cyaiiotis. 

28. 

10. 

Panoplites  flaveseens. 

29. 

11. 

Heliodoxa  leadbeateri. 

30. 

12. 

Pterophanes  tenimincki. 

31. 

13. 

Docimastes  ensiferus. 

32. 

14. 

Heliaiithea  typica. 

33. 

15. 

Bourcieria  torquata. 

34. 

16. 

Floricola  longirostris. 

35. 

17. 

Heliotryplia  exortis. 

36. 

18. 

Thalurania  colunibica. 

37. 

19. 

Acestrui-a  mulsanti. 

38. 

Acestrura  hellodori. 
Lesbia  gouldi. 
Lesbia  amaryllis. 
Cyanthus  forficatus. 
Rliainphomicrou  hetei'opogon. 
Rhamphomici'on  microrhyiiehum. 
Metalkiva  tyriauthina. 
Chvysuronia  aenone. 
Adelomyia  melanogenys. 
Agljeactis  cupripennis. 
Eriocnemis  alinse. 
Eriocnemis  cupriventris. 
Eriocnemis  vestita. 
Uranoniitra  francife. 
Amazilia  fuscicaudata. 
Amazilia  cyanifrons. 
Hylocbavis  sappbivina. 
Cblovostilbon  angustipennis. 
Panychlora  poortniani. 


It  will  always  be  a  source  of  regret  to  me  that  before  starting 
upon  our  trip  I  had  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  information  con- 
cerning the  island  of  Curacao  other  than  that  contained  in  the 
Encyclopaedia  and  in  the  folder  of  the  Red  "  D  "  Line.  It  is  true 
that  I  did  not  make  any  great  effort  to  this  end,  as  at  the  time  I 
expected  that  we  would  simply  stop  on  the  island  between  ships  and 


liESULTS    OF  THE    TRIF.  iGo 

have  no  opportunity  to  collect  any  birds.  When  we  finally  arrived 
and  did  have  a  chance  to  get  some  birds,  we  did  not  work  them  up 
as  thoroughly  as  we  should  have  done,  because  I  could  but  think 
that  an  island  so  small,  and  inider  such  perfect  civilization  and 
government  for  several  hundred  years,  must  be  thoroughly  explored 
and  known.  However,  at  the  same  time  of  our  visit,  JNIr.  Ernst 
Flartert  of  England  was  engaged  upon  the  ornith<jh)gy  of  the 
three  islands,  Curagao,  Aruba,  and  Bonaire,  and  he  has  subse- 
quently published  ("  Ibis  "  for  July,  1893)  an  article  giving-  the 
results  of  his  work.  He  announces  several  interesting  discoveries, 
and  to  his  article  I  should  refer  all  who  may  desire  a  complete 
work  upon  the  subject. 

]\Iy  observations  make  no  definite  additions  to  those  of  Mr. 
Hartert,  with  this  exception,  that  is,  that  I  took  a  specimen  of 
the  spotted  sand  snipe  (Act'ttis  iiincularhi)  which  he  mentions  as 
having'  observed,  but  not  taken. 

My  field  notes  are  as  follows  :  — 

BIRDS   OBSERVED   OX   THE   ISLAND   OF   CURAQAO. 

1.  Sterna  sj).     Large,  dusky  above,  crown  black. 

2.  Sterna  sp.     Medium  size,  apparently  pure  white. 

3.  Sterna  sp.     Very  small. 

4.  Pelecanus  fuscus  (Linx).     Brown  Pelican. 

I  saw  several  Hocks  flying  over  Santa  Ana  Harbor.  And. 
B.  of  X.  A.  vol.  7,  ppl.  423,  424. 

5.  Fregata  aquila  (Linn.).     Frigate  Pelican. 

I  saw  one  individual  flying  over  the  harbor.  The  native  name 
is  "  tijereta,"  scissors,  or  scissor-tail.  And.  B.  of  X.  A.  vol.  7, 
pi.  421. 

6.  Ardea  virescens  (Linn.)  ?     Green  Heron. 

I   saw   flying  across  the  harbor  several  small  herons   Avliich  I 

took  to  be  of  this  species.  I  saw  others  again  in  the  mangrove 

swamp  to  the  northwest  of  the  town.      And.  JJ.  of  JY.  A.  vol.  6, 
pi.  367. 


164  A   FLYING    TRIP   TO    THE   TROPICS. 

7.  AcTiTis  MACULARiA  (LiNN.).     Spotted  Sand  Snipe. 

I  shot  a  specimen  in  the  immature  unspotted  plumage  on  the 
edge  of  a  salt-pan  north  of  the  town.  Along  the  southeast 
edge  of  the  Lagoon  I  saw  in  July  several  species  of  sand  snipe, 
but  I  did  not  have  my  gun  with  me  and  obtained  no  specimens. 
Aud.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  5,  pi.  342. 

8.  EupsYCHORTYX  CRiSTATUS  (LiNN.).     Crested  Partridge. 

I  obtained  but  one  specimen  of  this  partridge,  though  I  saw  a 
good  many.  Three  was  the  greatest  number  that  I  saw  together. 
In  June  I  saw  half-grown  young  ones  in  captivity.  Gould, 
3Io)i.  of  Odonto2)hor'uice. 

9.  CoLUMBA  GYMNOPTHALMA  (Temm.).     Wliitc-winged  Pigeon. 

I  saw  a  young  one  in  captivity  in  June,  and  in  July  I  saw  a 
flock  of  perhaps  a  dozen  individuals,  from  which  I  obtained  one 
specimen. 

10.  Zenaida  sj). 

I  saw  many  doves  of  a  medium  size,  but  obtained  no  speci- 
men.    They  Avere  probably  Z.  vhiaceo-rufa  (Ridgw.). 

11.  COLUMBIGALLINA  PASSERINA  (LiNN.).      GrOUud  DoVC. 

I  found  this  little  dove  very  abundant.  It  was  probably  the 
commonest  bird  on  the  island.    Aud.  Jj.  of  iV.  A.  vol.  5,  pi.  283. 

12.  TiNNUNCULus  sPARVERius    BREViPENNis  (V.  Berl.).  Curagao 

Sparr  o  w-ha  wk . 
I  saw  a  good  many  of  these  hawks.     There  is  the  same  differ- 
ence in  color  between  the  sexes  as  in  our  species.    I  was  told  that 
they  fed  on  lizards. 

13.  A  large  hawk  that  I  saw  several  times  at  a  distance  may  have 
been  Buteo  alhlcaudatus  colonas  (V.  Berl.). 

14.  CoNURUS  PERTiNAX  (LiNN.).     Yellow-headed  Parrakeet. 

I  saw  many  of  these  in  captivity,  some  of  them  barely  fledged, 
and  was  told  that  they  were  caught  on  the  island,  but  I  saw  no 
others. 

15.  Chrysolampis  moschitus  (Linn.).     Ruby  and  Topaz   Huni- 

ing-bird. 


RESULTS    OF  THE   TRIP.  1G5 

I  saw  none  of  these  in  June,  but  in  July  the  tamarind-trees 
were    in    bloom,  and   there    were  swarms    around    every    tree. 
Nearly,  all,  however,  were  in  poor  plumage,   as   they   were  just 
moulting.     Gould's  ^lonoyraph. 
IG.  Chlokostilbon  atala  (Less.).     Atala  Humming-bird. 

I  saw  many  of  these  in  June  and  more  in  July,  when  they  also 
were  feeding  on  the  tamarind  blossoms.     Gould's  Monograj:)]^ 

17.  IcTp]Rus  ICTERUS  (LiNN.).    Troupial. 

All  of  the  troupials  that  I  saw  were  caged  birds,  but  I  was 
told  that  the  bird  is  found  and  breeds  on  the  island.  The 
natives  apply  the  name  "  troupial  "  or  "  turupial  "  to  both  this 
and  the  following  species,  so  that  I  cannot  tell  how  much 
weight  to  give  to  my  information.  And.  B.  of  N.  A.  vol.  7, 
pi.  499. 

18.  Icterus  XANTHORNUS  cuRASOENSis  (RiDGW.).   Curagao  Oriole. 
I  saw  a  small  flock  of  five  or  six  in  June,  and   in  July  I  saw 

three  more.      PI.  in  this  work. 

19.  ZoxoTRiCHiA  piLEATA  (BoDD.).     Pileated  Sparrow. 

This  handsome  sparrow  I  found  quite  common  in  a  little  valley 
near  the  monastery.     Descourtilz,  Ornitlioloyie  Uresillemie. 

20.  EuETHEiA  BicoLOR  (LiNN.).     Grassquit. 

We  saw  quantities  of  these  wherever  we  went  on  the  island. 
On  July  2G  we  found  a  nest  with  three  eggs. 

21.  C(EREBA  UROPYGiALis  (V.  Berl.).     Cura^'ao  Houey-crecper. 

I  saw  but  few  in  June,  but  in  July  they  were  abundant,  and 
were  seen  in  the  tamarind-trees  with  the  humming-birds.  They 
have  a  feeble  lisping  song  more  like  that  of  an  insect  than  that 
of  a  bird. 

22.  Dexdroica  rufo-pileata  (Ridgw.).     Curagao  Warbler. 

These  were  abundant.  Their  sono-  is  much  like  that  of  our 
yellow  warbler. 

23.  MiMUS  GiLVUS  ROSTRATUS  (RiDGW.).     Curagao  Mocking-bird. 

These  birds  were  abundant.  I  even  saw  some  sinoin«-  from 
the  housetops  in  the  town.     Both  of  my  specimens  were  young. 


166  A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE    TROPICS. 

and  had  speckled  breasts.     The  native  name  is  "  ruisenor,"  which 

is  the  Spanish  for  nightingale. 

The  barn-owl  mentioned  by  Captain  Smith  was  doubtless  Strix 
flammea  bar  gel  (Hartert). 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  not  have  access  to  Mr.  Har- 
tert's  article,  I  give  here  his  list  of  the  birds  of  the  island  of 
Curagao  :  — 

1.  Larus  atricilla  (Linn.). 

2.  Sterna  hirundo  (Linn.). 

3.  Sterna  maxima  (Bodd.). 

4.  Phalacrocorax  brasilianus  (Gm.). 

5.  Fregata  aqnila  (Linn.). 

6.  Pelecanus  fuscus  (Linn.). 

7.  Hsematopus  palliatus  (Temm.). 

8.  Himantopus  mexicanus  (Miill.). 

9.  Totanus  macularius  (Linn.).     Actitis  macularia. 

10.  Bntorides  (Ardea)  virescens  (Linn.). 

11.  Ardea  candidissima  ?  (Gm.). 

12.  Ardea  herodias  (Linn.). 

13.  Enpsychortyx  cristatus  (Linn.). 

14.  Columbigallina  passerina  perpallida  (Hartert).    C.  passerina. 

15.  Leptoptila  verreanxi  (Bp.). 

16.  Zenaida  vinaceo-rufa  (Ridgw.). 

17.  Columba  gymnopthalma  (Temm.). 

18.  Strix  flammea  bargei  (Hartert). 

19.  Polyborus  cheriway  (Jacq.). 

21.  Tinnunculus  sparverius  brevipennis  (V.  Berl.). 

21.  Biiteo  albicaudatus  colonus  (V.  Berl.). 

22.  Conurus  pertinax  (Linn.). 

23.  Crotophaga  sulcirostris  (Sw.). 

24.  Stenopsis  cayennensis  (Gm.). 

25.  Chlorostilbon  carib?eus  (Lawr.).     C.  atala. 

26.  Chrysolampis  mosquitus  (Linn.). 


liESULTS    OF  THE    lEIF.  107 


27.  Tyrannus  domiiiicensis  (Giii.). 

28.  Subleg-atus  glaber  (Scl.  «&  Salv.). 

29.  Mjiarcluis  bievipeniiis  (Hartert). 

30.  Elainea  martinica  riisii  (ScL). 
»31.  Iliriiiido  erytliiogastra  (Bodd.). 

32.  Icterus  icterus  (Linn.). 

33.  Icterus  xantliornus  curasoensis  (Ridgw.). 

34.  Euetlieia  sliarpei  (Ilartert).     E.  bicolorc 

35.  Zonotricbia  pileata  (Bodd.). 

30.  Amniodramus  savannarum  (Gni.). 

37.  Certbiola  uropygialis  (V.  Berl.). 

38.  Dendroica  rufo-pileata  (Ridg'w.). 

39.  Mimus  gilvus  rostratus  (Ridg-w.), 


CHAPTER   IX. 

A   FEW    SUGGESTIONS. 

I  THINK  that  I  may  say  without  egotism  that  I  can  sometimes 
make  a  fair  bird-skin,  and  the  fact  that  others  could  do  the  same 
was  to  me,  at  one  time,  nothing  remarkable,  but  now  I  regard  with 
great  respect  the  man  who  can  go  to  the  tropics  and  return  with  a 
collection  of  o^ood  skins. 

Until  we  have  experienced  them  ourselves,  we  do  not  realize  the 
difficulties  that  beset  the  collector  in  the  tropics.  Suppose  that  you 
have  come  in  at  nightfall  with  ten  or  fifteen  birds  that  you  wish  to 
save.  You  have  your  supper,  and  then  you  begin  to  realize  that 
you  are  tired  and  sleepy,  but  still  you  start  to  work.  You  have  a 
wretched  spluttering  tallow-dip  for  light,  and  mosquitoes  come  in 
clouds  to  harass  you.  However,  you  keep  bravely  on  and  finish 
one  good  skin,  then  look  at  your  watch.  You  have,  if  the  bird  is 
a  medium-sized  one,  been  at  work  just  twenty  minutes;  at  this  rate 
you  will  be  four  or  five  hours  longer.  The  prospect  is  too  much  for 
you  ;  you  make  two  or  three  more  skins,  then  hang  up  the  rest  of 
the  birds  in  the  coolest  place  that  you  can  find,  and  say  that  you 
will  begin  upon  them  at  daybreak  the  next  morning.  When  you 
wake,  you  at  once  notice  a  peculiar  smell ;  you  examine  your  birds ; 
they  are  putrid,  and  must  be  thrown  away  at  once.  You  still  have 
the  skins  left,  and  later  you  take  a  look  at  them.  You  find  them 
covered  with  thousands  of  little  red  ants,  the  skin  of  their  feet  and 
their  eyelids  have  already  been  eaten  off,  and  many  feathers  have 
been  cut  away,  leaving  unsightly  bald  patches.  You  take  each  skin, 
blow  and  dust  oft'  the  ants,  clean  them  thoroughly,  and  replace  them 


A   FEW  SUGGESTIONS.  169 

upon  the  drying"  board,  which  you  suspend  by  strings.  In  less  than 
an  hour  the  ants  have  found  them  again.  You  clean  them  a  second 
time,  and  now  anoint  the  strings  with  carbolic  acid,  tar,  kerosene 
oil,  and  camphor,  any  of  which  you  think  would  turn  back  an 
insect  with  the  slightest  self-respect,  but  your  trouble  is  for  naught. 
Later  you  find  that  water  is  the  only  thing  that  will  keep  them  back, 
so  you  borrow  cans  and  plates,  fill  them  with  water,  and  arrange 
l^edestals  ujjon  which  you  think  that  your  skins  are  safe.  After  a 
while  you  hear  a  buzzing,  you  look  at  your  skins,  and  see  some 
large  green  Hies  upon  them.  You  drive  them  away,  but  the  next 
day  you  find  gindet-holes  through  the  heads  and  beaks  of  your 
birds.  They  were  made  by  maggots  hatched  from  eggS  of  the  flies. 
When  at  last  your  skins  are  dry,  you  go  to  pack  them,  and  as  you 
lift  them  up,  black  beetles  scurry  out  from  under  them.  You  find 
that  they  have  burrowed  between  the  skin  and  bones  of  the  tarsi 
and  wings  of  your  skins,  until  they  are  mere  shells  ready  to  fall  in 
pieces  at  a  touch.  You  collect  up  to  the  last  day  of  your  stay,  and 
have  some  green  skins  which  you  j^ack  with  the  greatest  care. 
After  two  days  on  mule-back  you  arrive  at  your  next  station,  and  at 
once  proceed  to  air  your  skins.  The  green  ones  are  dry  enough 
now  ;  but  what  horrible  monstrosities  !  —  their  necks  twisted  and  bent, 
their  feathers  lying  the  wrong  way,  their  bodies  distorted.  Some  of 
your  skins  that  you  tliought  Avere  thoroughly  dried  were  evidently 
not  so,  as  they  are  now  covered  with  a  fungous  mould,  their  black 
beaks  a  pale  silvery  color  crumbling  at  the  touch.  You  resolve  to 
do  better  at  this  place,  and  you  put  your  drying  skins  out  in  the 
sun.  In  a  little  while  you  hear  a  noise,  and  look  out  in  time  to  see 
a  black  vulture  flying  up  to  the  roof  with  your  best  skin,  one  that 
you  have  taken  especial  pains  to  preserve.  You  stand  helplessly 
looking  on  until  it  is  torn  in  pieces  and  left  in  disgust.  After  that, 
you  keep  your  skins  indoors,  but  that  night  the  mice  take  a  fancy 
to  examine  them,  and  the  next  morning  you  find  the  floor  strewn 
with  wings  and  tails.  It  is  but  poor  consolation  to  think  that  the 
arsenic  may  perhaps  have  poisoned  the  mice. 


170 


A   FLYING   TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 


All  this  may  be  tliouglit  overdrawn,  but  everything  that  I  have 
related  above  occurred  to  me,  and  my  object  in  writing  this  chapter 
is  to  point  out  to  others  who  may  hereafter  go  on  similar  expedi- 
tions how  they  may  avoid  my  troubles. 

First  of  all,  I  should  advise  you  to  collect,  when  possible,  in  the 
early  morning.  Get  up  by  daybreak,  and  take  a  cup  of  coffee  and 
a  mouthful  of  food  before  S'oino-  out.  You  will  find  all  birds  stir- 
ring  at  this  hour,  whilst  at  noon  you  will  see  few  if  any.  Come  in 
before  eleven  o'clock,  then  rest  a  little,  have  your  breakfast,  skin 
your  birds  carefully,  write  up  your  notes,  prepare  your  ammunition, 
etc.,  for  the  next  day,  and  go  to  bed  early. 

Now,  in  regard  to  your  skins :  once  that  a  skin  has  been  thor- 
oughly dried  in  good  shape  it  will  stand  packing  and  transportation 
wdth  a  fair  amount  of  safety,  therefore  your  aim  should  be  to  shape 
and  dry  them  properly.  You  may  travel  with  a  large  and  sjiecially 
prepared  outfit,  but  small  steamer  trunks  Avith  several  trays  are  very 
well  suited  for  packing  and  drying  skins,  being 
lighter  than  chests,  waterproof  to  some  extent, 
and  furnished  with  good  locks. 

Skins,  whilst  drying,  are  undoubtedly  safest 
from  molestation  when  they  are  suspended,  and 
are  also  more  out  of  your  way.  A  trunk-tray 
is  easily  hung  up  to  a  rope,  a  rafter,  or  a  branch 
of  a  tree,  your  dried  skins  can  be  kept  safely  in 
it,  and  those  that  are  drying  can  be  placed  on  a 
board  crosswise  on  the  tray.  The  point  comes 
up  about  the  ants.  I  suggest  the  following  : 
A  couple  of  tin  cups,  through  the  bottoms  of 
which  pass  a  bar  with  a  ring  at  each  end.  The 
tray  is  suspended  from  the  lower  ring,  the  cup  in  turn  frt)m  the 
upper,  and  the  cup  being  filled  with  water  will  effectually  keep  out 
the  ants.  I  would  also  recommend  that  a  j^iece  of  gauze  or  mos- 
quito net  be  spread  over  the  tray  wdien  it  is  suspended.  This  will 
not   interfere  with  the  drying,  but  will  prevent  the  damage  from 


SECTION    OF    CUP. 


A   FEW  SUGGESTIONS.  171 

the  green  flies  and  beetles.  Skins,  when  dry  and  packed  away  in 
your  trunk,  nnist  also  be  protected  from  ants,  and  the  best  way  is 
to  carry  along*  three  or  four  deep  tin  plates  which  will  fit  into  one 
another  for  convenience  in  packing'.  Fill  these  with  water,  put  a 
stone  in  each,  and  place  your  trunk  on  these  stones. 

In  regard  to  your  skinning  outfit :  that  will  depend  upon  your 
taste,  but  I  reconnnend  simplicity.  I  took  a  pair  of  small  short- 
bladed,  sharp-pointed  scissors,  a  pair  of  tweezers,  a  iDOcket-knife,  and 
a  knitting-needle,  and  found  this  amply  sufficient.  A  tool-handle, 
containing  gimlets,  screw-driver,  small  chisel,  etc.,  Avas  also  very 
useful. 

For  materials :  I  was  once  in  favor  of  plaster  of  paris  in  skinning, 
but  I  now  prefer  Indian-corn  meal.  Take  it  tied  np  in  shot-bags. 
It  is  not  heavy,  will  not  spill  out,  and  packs  well  in  your  trunk. 
When  you  are  skinning,  spread  out  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  when  you 
are  through  pour  back  the  meal  that  is  left.  It  can  be  used  re- 
peatedly. 

Take  cotton  batting  with  you,  the  kind  that  is  sold  in  our  dry- 
goods  stores  done  up  in  tissue  paper.  You  can  roll  it  np  in  an  old 
towel,  and  by  wrapping  it  tightly  with  a  strong  string  can  compress 
it  until  its  size  is  many  times  reduced,  and  it  packs  away  well. 
Cotton  is  found  all  over  Colombia,  and  I  thought  that  I  was  doing 
something  unnecessary  wdien  I  carried  some  with  me ;  but  in  Gua- 
duas  my  supply  gave  out,  and  Avhen  I  sent  for  some  it  was  brought 
to  me  in  little  wads  about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  and  I  found  that  I 
could  no  more  stuff  a  bird  with  it  than  I  could  with  a  set  of  build- 
ing blocks.  However,  it  was  owing  to  this  that  I  became  acquainted 
with  what  I  consider  a  splendid  material  for  stuffing  large  and 
medium-sized  birds,  —  I  refer  to  oakum  as  used  for  calking  vessels. 
This  is  inelastic  and  retains  the  shape  given  to  it,  and  a  bird's  body 
can  be  modeled  exactly  after  the  one  of  flesh  just  removed.  Some 
birds  have  wide  projecting  shoulders,  with  a  deep  depression  be- 
tween the  furculum  and  the  neck,  and  it  is  just  this  shape  that  is 
difficult  to  stuff  with  cotton,  but  can  be  fitted  like  a  glove  with 


172 


A   FLYING    TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


oakum.  I  obtained  the  oakum 
on  the  river  steamer.  The  Span- 
ish name  for  it  is  "  estopa."  The 
best  preservative  is  dry  arsenic, 
which  shouki  be  carried  in  a  tight 
can  with  a  screw  cap.  The  can 
shouki  be  conspicuously  marked 
with  both  the  English  word  "  Poi- 
son "  and  the  Spanish  word  "  Ve- 
neno." 

And  now,  to  change  the  subject 
abruptly,  I  would  say  a  few  words 
about  photography.  The  ability 
to  sketch  rapidly  and  accurately 
is  much  to  be  envied,  yet  for  one 
23erson  with  Mr.  Catherwood's  tal- 
ent, there  are  ten  thousand  Avitli- 
out ;  and  then,  too,  how  rapidly  a  camera  does  its  work  !  I  believe 
a  camera  to  be  nowadays  an  essential  part  of  every  traveler's  outfit ; 
yet  it  has  its  limitations.  In  regard  to  choice  of  cameras,  it  is  like 
choice  of  shot  guns ;  every  one  thinks  his  own  the  best.  I  took 
Avith  me  a  "  Hawk-eye,"  taking  4X5  plates,  and  used  glass  plates 
entirely,  which  were  developed  upon  my  return.  Many  of  the  pre- 
ceding illustrations  are  from  my  photographs.  I  purchased  my  cam- 
era several  years  before  for  the  purpose  of  taking  pictures  of  objects 
of  natural  history  ;  and  it  is  of  this  class  of  Avork  that  I  wish  to 
speak, 

Considerino-  birds  first,  althouoh  I  am  aware  that  some  students 
have  taken  fine  pictures  of  them,  I  have  not  met  with  success. 
Those  pictures  that  I  have  taken  of  birds  in  a  state  of  freedom  have 
not  turned  out  well,  usually  because  of  the  smallness  of  the  figure 
and  of  the  impossibility  of  selecting  a  suitable  background.  I  have 
had  Avounded  birds  from  time  to  time  ;  but  it  is  very  difficult  to 


RKD-TAILED    HAWK    (lIVINP,    BIKD). 


A   FEW  SUGGESTIONS.  173 

get  them  in  a  g'ood  position  ;  and  the  best  pictnres  are  but  poor. 
When  seriously  woundetl,  their  listless  and  dejected  look  is  not 
what  is  wanted  in  a  picture,  and  at  the  best  the  surroundings  of 
fences,  cag-es,  chains,  or  cords  destroy  the  worth  of  the  likeness. 
A  dead  bird  is  a  hopeless  task,  and  photographs  of  stulfed  and 
mounted  birds,  with  their  dull,  protuberant,  and  lifeless  eyes  are  an 
abomination.  I  will  venture  to  say  that  not  one  photograph  in  a 
hundred  of  mounted  birds  has  the  faintest  life-like  look  about  it. 

Leaving  birds  and  turning  to  fish,  we  find  a  class  that,  as  a  rule, 
make  elegant  subjects  for  the  pliotograi)her.  With  them  I  have 
been  quite  successful.  The  best  to  work  upon  are  scale  fish  of 
moderate  size;  but  I  have  made  good  ])ictures  of  sharks  of  five 
feet  in  length  and  of  small  fish  of  barely  three  inches.     I  would 


GKEEN    JU.liuN    (.MUfNTED    SKIN). 

recommend  this  work  to  lovers  of  photography,  and  will  give  a 
brief  explanation  of  my  process.  You  will  need  a  large  sheet  of 
white  blotting-paper,  some  small  wire  nails  and  pins,  and  a  pair  of 
wire-cutting  })liers.  Select  a  moderate-sized  fish,  with  uninjured 
tail  and  fins,  fasten  your  blotting-paper  to  a  board,  wipe  the  fish 
dry,  and  lay  it  in  the  centre  of  the  sheet  of  paper.  Cut  off  the 
heads  of  two  of  the  wire  nails,  and  drive  them  through  the  fish  and 
into  the  board,  one  near  the  head,  and   the   other   near  the   tail. 


174 


A   FLYING   TRIP   TO   THE   TROPICS. 


Drive  the  nails  until  tliey  are  below  the  level  of  the  skin,  when  the 

scales  will  cover  the 
'^  ^'^  holes,  and   they  will 

not  be  seen.  These 
will  support  the 
weight  of  the  fish. 
Now,  with  your  pliers 
cut  off  the  heads  of 
a  number  of  pins, 
and  use  the  points  to 
keej)  spread  the  fish's 
tail  and  fins.  Put 
the  board  on  edge,  and  move  your  camera  up  until  the  fish  nearly 
covers  the  plate.  Use  a  very  slow  plate,  and  give  plenty  of  expos- 
ure. When  you  have  developed  your  plate,  and  come  to  print  it, 
vignette  closely  to  the  fish,  by  which  means  you  can  get  an  almost 
dead  white  background.  In  case  you  do  not  use  a  white  back- 
ground, you  may  still  print  on  aristotype  paper,  and  then,  with  a 
sharp  eraser,  scratch  off  all  the  print  except  the  fish,  thus  getting  a 
pure  white  background.     This  sea  bass,  a  male,   with  the  dorsal 


WHITE    PERCH. 


A   FEW  SUGGESTIONS. 


175 


hump,  chciracteristic  of  the  breetlino-  season,  printed  well  ;  but  its 
tail  Avas  badly  cut  up  in  the  net. 

I  believe  this  method  would  be  useful  to  travelers  who  have  not 
with  them  the  means  of  preserving  specimens  of  strange  fish  that 
they  may  see.     It  might  enable  them  to  identify  these  fish  upon 


!M,tjir^^  ^j« 


SCULPIN. 
(By  I'crmission.) 


176 


A   FLYING    TRIP    TO    THE    TROPICS. 


their  return.  The  red  snapper  figured  on  j^age  148  is  from  a 
photograph  taken  as  described  above.  That  this  method  is  also 
appHcable  to  fish  Avithout  scales,  the  figure  of  a  sculpin  will  show, 
and  that  the  comparative  value  of  the  illustration  can  be  judged,  I 
give  also  a  wood-cut  of  a  sculpin,  from  a  popular  work  on  natural 
history. 

Crustacea  may  be  treated  in  the  same  manner  as  fish,  and  the 

results  are  equally 
as  satisfactory. 

The  various  crabs 
found  along  our 
coast  are  good  sub- 
jects ujjon  which 
to  work. 

Some  insects 

may  be  successfully 
photographed  ;   but 
LOBSTEK.  here    the    question 

of  color  is  so  diffi- 
cult to  deal  with  that  one  must  be  an  expert  before  he  can  count 
upon  the  result.  The  black  and  yellow  butterflies  especially  are 
disappointing  to  handle.  What  I  have  said  of  birds  applies  with 
even  more  force  to  animals,  and  to  a  less  degree  to  reptiles.  The 
colors  of  snakes  and  of  terrapin  are  lost,  and  of  the  other  reptiles, 
it  is  indeed  rarely  that  one  can  be  gotten  to  take  a  good  attitude, 
and  hold  it  long  enough  for  a  good  picture. 


-^5Y'**3I^''^'  ^ 


APPENDIX. 


LIST   OF   WORKS   ON   COLOMBIA. 

A  LIST  of  the  works  treating  of  any  particular  subject  is  always  of  great  help  to 
the  student  who  may  care  to  investigate  that  subject,  and  therefore  I  have  compiled 
the  following  list  of  works  on  Colombia,  exclusive  of  the  literature  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  The  nature  of  many  of  these  works  is  indicated  by  their  titles  ;  in  others 
this  is  not  the  case,  and  as  I  have  not  had  access  to  many  of  them,  nor  time  to  read 
others,  I  have  been  compelled  to  adopt  a  chronological  arrangement.  I  have,  how- 
ever, collected  the  purely  zoological  writings  and  brought  them  together  after  the 
general  list. 

It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  early  days  Colombia  included  at  various  times 
more  or  less  of  Peru,  Ecuador,  and  Venezuela,  and  was  known  by  other  names  as 
Tierx'a  Firma,  New  Granada,  etc.  Examining  the  titles  below,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  earlier  writings  were  those  of  the  Jesuits ;  then  came  in  historical  and  biograjjhi- 
cal  works.  In  the  early  twenties,  during  the  struggles  of  Colombia  in  securing  her 
independence  from  Spain,  many  officers  of  foreign  armies  were  attracted  as  adven- 
turers, and  later  a  number  of  them  wrote  of  their  experiences.  Then  followed  a 
period  in  which  little  appeared.  Within  the  last  fifteen  years  there  has  been  a  large 
increase  in  the  literature  on  Colombia,  in  which  the  Germans  have  had  a  prominent 
part.  In  this  compilation  I  have  profited  by  Pereira's  list  (see  No.  155).  In 
Bonnycastle's  work,  1819,  there  is  a  list  of  146  works  on  Spanish  America,  many  of 
Avhidi  may  have  references  to  Colombia,  but  as  I  have  not  seen  them  I  cannot 
include  them. 

1.  De  insulis  nuper  inventis.  Occeanea  decas.  Petrus  ab  Angleria  Martir. 
Legatio  Babilonica.      Poemata.     Seville,  1511. 

2.  La  cronica  del  Peru.     Pedro  Cieza  de  Leon.     Amberes,  1554. 

3.  Elegias  de  varones  ilustres  de  Indias.  Juan  de  Castellanos.  Madrid, 
1589. 

4.  Historia  de  las  Indias  y  Cronica  de  la  Nueva  Espana.  Fi-ancisco  Lopez 
Gomara.      Madrid.  1()()0. 

5.  Histoire  naturelle  et  morale  des  Indes ;  tant  orientales  qu'occidentales,  par 


178  APPENDIX. 

le  P.  Joseph  de  Acosta ;  traduite  en  fran^ois  par  R.  Regnault  Cauxols.     Paris, 
1600. 

60  Grammatica  en  la  lengua  del  nuevo  reyno  llamada  Mosca.  Bern,  de  Lugo. 
Madrid,  1619. 

7.  Noticias  historiales  de  las  conquistas  de  Tierra  Firme  en  las  Indias  Occiden- 
tales.     Fray  Pedro  Simon.     Cuenca,  1627. 

8.  Varones  ilustres  del  nuevo  mundo,  descubridores,  conquistadores  y  pacifica- 
dores  del  oijulento,  dilatado  y  numeroso  iniperio  de  las  Indias  Occidentales.  Fer- 
nando de  Pizarro.     Madrid,  1639. 

9.  L'Histoire  du  nouveau  monde,  ou  Description  des  Indes  Occidentales.  Le 
sieur  Jean  de  Laet.     Leyden,  1640. 

10.  Arte  y  vocabulario  de  la  lengua  de  los  Indios  de  la  provincia  de  Cumana  o 
Nueva  Andaleucia.     Fr.  de  Tauste.     Madrid,  1680. 

11.  Historia  general  de  la  conquista  del  nuevo  reyno  de  Granada.  Lucas  Fer- 
nandez de  Piedrahita.     Madi-id,  1688. 

12.  Historia  general  de  los  heclios  de  los  Castellanos  en  las  islas  i  tierra  firme 
del  mar  Occeano.     Antonio  de  Herrera.     Madrid,  1729. 

13.  El  Orinoco  ilustrado,  liistoria  natural,  civil  y  geografica  de  este  gran  rio  y  de 
sus  caudalosas  vertientes.  Le  P.  Joseph  Gumilla  de  la  Compagnie  de  Jesus. 
Madrid,  1741. 

14.  Historia  de  la  Provincia  de  Santa  Fe,  de  la  compania  de  Jesus  y  vidas  de 
sus  varones  ilustres.     Le  P.  Joseph  Cassani.     Madrid,  1741. 

15.  Journal  du  voyage  fait  par  ordre  du  roi  a  I'Equateur.  M.  de  la  Condamine. 
Paris,  1751. 

16.  Historia  coro-graphica,  natural  y  evangelica  de  la  Nueva  Andalucia.  Pro- 
vincias  de  Cumand,,  Guayana  y  Vertientes  del  Rio  Orinoco.  Fr.  Antonio  Caulin. 
Madrid,  1779.  One  quarto  vol.,  pp.  482  +  13,  engraved  title,  and  three  plates  of 
murders  of  priests  by  Lidians. 

17.  A  philosophical  and  political  history  of  the  settlements  and  trade  of  the 
Europeans  in  the  East  and  West  Indies,  by  the  Abb^  Raynal,  translated  by  J.  O. 
Justamond.  London,  1783.  Eight  vols.,  many  maps.  (Santa  Marta,  Cartagena, 
and  Santa  Fe  de  Bogotfi  in  4th  vol.,  pp.  58  to  about  105  inch) 

18.  La  perla  de  la  America,  provincia  de  Santa  Marta.  Antonio  Julian.  Ma- 
drid, 1786. 

19.  Diccionario  geographico-historico  de  las  Indias  Occidentales  o  America.  Col. 
Antonio  de  Alcedo.      Madrid,  1786-88. 

20.  Historia  del  Nuevo  Mundo.     Juan  Bautista  Muiioz.     Madrid,  1793. 

21.  Voyage  a  la  partie  orientale  de  la  Terre-Ferme.      Depons.     Paris,  1806. 

22.  A  voyage  to  South  America  :  describing  at  large  the  Spanish  cities,  towns, 
provinces,  etc.,  on  that  extensive  continent :  undertaken  by  command  of  the  king  of 
Spain.  By  Don  George  Juan,  and  Don  Antonio  de  Ulloa.  Translated  from  the 
Spanish  by  John  Adams.  London,  1807.  Two  vols.,  pp.  28  +  479  and  4  +  419 
and  index  ;  many  maps  and  plates.      (Cartagena  in  first  vol.,  pp.  19-84.) 


APPENDIX.  179 

23.  Voyage  clans  rinterieur  de  rAmeiiniie  dans  les  aiinees  1799  a  1804.  Par 
A.  de  Humboldt  et  A.  13oni)land.  Paris,  1807-39.  Six  parts,  1494  plates  (349 
ooloretl),  5  ina})s. 

There  are  many  other  editions  of  Hmnboldt's  writings. 

24.  Si)anish  America  ;  or  a  descriptive,  historical,  and  geographical  account  of  the 
Dominions  of  Spain  in  the  Western  Hemisphere,  continental  and  insular.  R.  H. 
Bonnycastle.  Philadelphia,  1819.  One  vol.,  pp.  482.  (New  Granada,  pp.  159  to 
240  inch     Map.) 

25.  Barthelemi  Casas,  Eveque  de  Cliiapa  :  CEiivres  prc'-cedees  de  sa  vie.  Paris, 
1822. 

26.  Colombia :  being  a  geographical,  statistical,  agricultural,  commercial,  and 
jjolitical  account  of  that  country,  adapted  for  the  general  reader,  the  merchant,  and 
the  colonist.  London,  1822.  Two  vols.,  2)p.  124  +  707  and  782,  two  ])ortraits, 
one  large  folding  map.  This  is  known  as  Walker's  Colombia.  There  is  also  a 
Spanish  edition. 

27.  De  Re})ul)liek  Columbia,  of  Tafereel  Van  Derzelver  Tegenwoor.  digen 
toestand  en  Betrekkingeii  ;  in  Brieven,  van  daar  aan  zijne  vrienden  gesclireven, 
door  Carl  Richard,  Hanoversch  officier.  Benevens  eene  levensschets  vaii  Simon 
Bolivar.  President  van  Columbia.     Amsterdam,  1822.     One  vol..  })p.  285. 

28.  The  geograpliy,  history,  and  statistics  of  America,  and  the  West  Indies ; 
exhibiting  a  correct  account  of  the  discovery,  settlement,  and  progress  of  the  various 
kingdoms,  states,  and  provinces  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  to  the  year  1822.  By 
H.  C.  Carey  and  I.  Lea.  Philadel2)hia.  With  additions  relative  to  the  new  states 
of  South  America.  London,  1823.  One  vol..  pp.  477,  three  folding  maps.  (Colom- 
bia, i)p.  412  to  423  inch) 

29.  Letters  written  from  Colombia,  during  a  journey  from  Caracas  to  Bogotii, 
and  thence  to  Santa  Martha,  in  1823.  London,  1824.  One  vol..  ])p.  16  +  208,  one 
large  folding  mu]). 

30.  Colombia  :  its  present  state,  in  respect  of  climate,  soil,  productions,  population, 
government,  commerce,  revenue,  manufactures,  arts,  literature,  manners,  education, 
and  inducements  to  emigration :  with  an  original  map  :  and  itineraries,  partly  from 
Spanish  surveys,  jiartly  from  actual  ol)servation.  By  Col.  Francis  Hall.  London, 
1824.     One  vol.,  pp.  6  +  154,  one  map. 

31.  Voyage  dans  la  R^publique  de  Colombia,  en  1823.  G.  MoUien.  Paris, 
1824.  Two  vols.,  pp.  4  +  308  and  316,  seven  colored  jdates,  and  one  large  folding 
map. 

32.  Travels  in  the  Republic  of  Colombia,  in  the  years  1822  and  1823.  By  G. 
Mollien.  (Translation  of  the  above.)  London,  1824.  One  vol.,  pp.  460,  one 
plate,  one  folding  map. 

33.  Journal  of  a  residence  and  travels  in  Colombia,  during  the  years  1823  and 
1824.  By  Cai)t.  Charles  Stuart  Cochrane,  R.  N.  London,  1825.  Two  vols.,  pp. 
16  +  524  and  8  +  517,  two  colored  plates,  one  large  folding  map. 


180  APPENDIX. 

34.  Coleccion  de  los  viajes  y  descubrirnientos  que  hicieron  por  mar  los  Espanoles 
desde  fines  del  siglo  XV.      Martin  Fernandez  de  Navarrete.     Madrid,  1825-29. 

35.  A  visit  to  Colombia  in  the  years  1822  and  1823,  by  Laguayra  and  Caracas, 
over  the  cordillera  to  Bogota,  and  thence  by  the  Magdalena  to  Cartagena.  By  Col. 
"Wm.  Duane.     Philadelphia,  1826.     One  vol.,  pp.  632,  two  plates. 

36.  Histoire  de  la  Colombie,  par  M.  Lallement.  Paris,  1826,  second  edition. 
One  vol.,  pp.  320,  one  folding  map  and  i)lateSo 

37.  Notes  on  Colombia,  taken  in  the  years  1822-3,  with  an  itinerary  of  the  route 
from  Caracas  to  Bogotti  ;  and  an  appendix.  Capt.  Richard  Bache,  U.  S.  A.  Phila- 
delphia, 1827.     One  vol.,  pp.  303,  two  folding  maps,  one  plate. 

38.  Travels  through  the  interior  provinces  of  Columbia.  By  Col.  J.  P.  Hamil= 
ton.  London,  1827.  Two  vols.,  pp.  332  and  256,  seven  plates,  one  map.  Con- 
tains many  references  to  birds  and  shooting, 

39.  Recollections  of  a  service  of  three  years  during  the  a\  ar-of-extermination  in 
the  republics  of  Venezuela  and  Colombia.  By  an  officer  of  the  Colombian  navy. 
London,  1828.     Two  vols.,  pp.  15  +  251  and  8  +  277. 

40.  Die  Geschichte  von  Columbia,  durch  Dr.  Ernst  Munch,  Dresden,  1828. 
Two  vols.,  pp.  113  and  111. 

41.  Colombia  in  1826.  By  an  Anglo-Colombian.  Li  the  Pamphleteer,  vol.  29, 
London,  1828,  pp.  485-505. 

42.  History  of  tlie  life  and  voyages  of  Columbus.  Washington  Irving.  1828. 
Three  vols. 

43.  Tbe  Modern  Traveller :  a  popular  description,  geographical,  historical,  and 
topographical,  of  the  various  countries  of  the  globe.  Colombia.  Vol.  viii.  Boston 
and  Philadelphia,  1830.     Pp.  336,  three  plates,  one  folding  map. 

44.  Resa  i  Colombia,  itren  1825  och  1826,  af  Carl  August  Gosselman  Lieutenant 
vid  Kongl.  Maj :  ts  flotta.  Stockholm,  1830.  Two  vols.,  pp.  274  and  300,  two 
plates,  one  folding  map. 

45.  The  companions  of  Columbus.      Washington  L'ving.     1831. 

46.  Sur  la  cause  qui  produit  la  goitre  dans  les  cordilleres  de  la  Nouvelle- 
Granada.     Boussingault,  in  Annales  de  Chimie,  vol.  48,  1831,  p.  41  et  seq. 

47.  Sur  les  salines  iodiferes  des  Andes.  Boussingault,  in  same,  vol.  54,  1833,  p. 
163  et  seq. 

48.  Comunicaciones  entre  el  Senor  Carlos  Biddle,  Coronel  de  los  E.  Unidos  del 
Norte  I  la  Sociedad  Amigos  del  Pais.  Panamd.  1836.  Pamphlet,  pp.  22,  and 
one  folding  profile. 

49.  Antiguedades  neo-granadinas.      Ezequiel  Uricoechea.     Leipzig,  1837. 

50.  Voyages,  relations  et  m^moires  originaiix  pour  servir  a  I'histoire  de  la 
d^couverte  de  I'Am^rique.     Ternaux-Compans.     Paris,  1837-1841. 

51.  History  of  the  reign  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  the  Catholic.  W.  H.  Pres- 
cott.     Three  vols.,  portraits,  maps,  etc.     1838. 

52.  Bogotd,  in  1836-7,  being  a  narrative  of  an  expedition  to  the  capital  of  New- 


APPENDIX.  181 

Grenada,  and  a  residence  there  of  eleven  months.     By  J.  Steuart.     New  York, 
1838.     One  vol.,  pp.  312. 

53.  L'Univers.  Histoire  et  Description  de  tons  les  peuples.  Colonibie  et 
Guyanes,  par  M.  C.  Fanin.  Paris,  1839.  Pp.  32,  one  folding-  ma}),  and  seven 
plates. 

54.  Geografia  historica,  estadistica  y  local  de  la  provincia  de  Cartagena.  Gen- 
eral Juan  Jose  Nieto.     Cartagena,  1839. 

55.  Beitrjige  zur  geologie  von  Antidqnia ;  and  tjher  die  Salzquellen  des  nord- 
liclien  Theiles  der  Provinz  Anti()(|iiia  und  die  Gebirgs-Formationen  der  Umgebiing 
von  Medillin  im  Freistaate  von  Neii-Granada.  C.  Degenhardt,  in  Karsten's 
Archiv.  fiir  niineralogie,  xii.,  1839,  p.  1  et  seq. 

56.  Resumen  de  la  geografia  de  Venezuela.     Augnstin  Codazzi.     Paris,  1841. 

57.  Resumen  de  la  historia  antigua  de  Venezuela.  Baralt  y  Diaz.  Paris, 
1841. 

58.  Elssai  sur  I'ancien  Cundinamarca.     Ternaux-Compans.     Paris,  1842. 

59.  History  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico.  W.  H.  Prescott.  1843.  Three  vols., 
three  i)ortraits,  two  ma})s. 

60.  Vidas  de  los  Espaiioles  celebres.     Maimel  Jose  de  Quintana.     Paris,  1845. 

61.  History  of  the  conquest  of  Peru.  W.  H.  Prescott.  1847.  Two  volumes, 
portraits  and  map. 

62.  Compendio  historico  del  descubrlmiento  y  colonizacion  de  la  Nueva  Granada 
en  el  siglo  dt'cimo  sexto.  Col.  Joaquin  Acosta.  Paris,  1848.  One  vol.,  jjp.  460, 
four  plates. 

63.  Semanario  de  la  Nueva  Granada ;  miscelanea  de  ciencias,  litoratura,  artes  e 
industria.     Francisco  Jose  de  Caldas.     Edition  of  Col.  Acosta.     Paris,  1849. 

64.  Viajos  cientificos  d  los  Andes  ecuatoriales.  Boussingault.  Paris,  1849. 
Pp.  67. 

Q)~).  Coleccion  de  memorias  sobres  fisica,  quimica  e  historia  natural  de  la  Nueva 
Granada  y  Ecuador,  escritas  por  M.  Boussingault,  actual  ])residente  de  la  Acadeniia 
de  Ciencias  de  Paris ;  traducidas  con  anuencia  del  autor  y  precedidas  de  algunas 
nociones  de  geologia.     Col.  Joaquin  Acosta.      Paris,  1849. 

66.  Observations  diverses  sur  les  environs  de  Santa  Fe  de  Bogota.  P.  A. 
Cornette,  in  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  geologi([He  de  France.  Second  series,  vol.  7, 
1849-50,  p.  320. 

67.  Memorias  para  la  historia  de  la  Nueva  Granada,  desde  su  descubrimiento 
hasta  el  20  de  Julio  de  1810.     Col.  Jos(^  Antonio  de  Plaza.     Bogota,  1850. 

68.  Acosta.  Sur  les  niontagnes  tracbytiques  de  Ruis.  dans  la  Nonvelle  Grenade. 
In  Bull,  de  la  Soc.  Geol,  de  France,  Pai'is,  1850-51,  pp.  489  to  496  inch,  one  plate 
of  maps,  sections,  etCo 

69.  Same.  Sur  la  Sierra  Nevada  de  Sainte-]Marthe,  Form^e  par  le  terrain 
primitif.     In  same  for  1851-52,  pp.  396  to  399  inch,  one  folding  plate  of  sections. 

70.  Extrait  de  differentes  lettres  sur  la  gdologie  de  la  Nouvelle  Grenade.  P.  A. 
Cornette,  in  same  for  1851-52,  p.  509. 


182  APPENDIX. 

71.  Geognostisclie  Bemei'kungen  liber  die  nord  kiiste  Neu-Granada's,  insbe- 
sondere  txber  die  sogenannten  vulkane  von  Turbaco  und  Zamba.  H.  Karsten,  in 
Zeitschrit't  der  Deutschen  Geologiscben  Gesellscbaft,  1852,  p.  579. 

72.  Memoria  sobre  la  geografia  de  la  Nueva  Granada.  Mosquera.  New  York, 
1852. 

73.  Memoir  on  the  physical  and  political  geograpliy  of  New  Granada.  General  T. 
C.  de  Mosqiiera.  Translated  from  the  Spanish  by  Theodore  Dwight.  New  York, 
1853.    One  vol.,  pp.  105,  one  large  folding  map.     (Translation  of  the  preceding.) 

74.  Peregrinacion  de  Alpha  (M.  Ancizar.)  por  las  provincias  del  norte  de  la 
Nueva  Granada,  en  1850  I  51.      Bogotti,  1853.     One  vol.,  pp.  524,  portrait. 

75.  Resumen  histdrico  de  los  acontecimientos  que  han  tenido  lugar  en  la  repiib- 
lica,  extractado  de  los  diarios  y  noticias  que  ha  podido  obtener  el  general  gefe  del 
estado  mayor  general,  T.  C.  de  Mosquera.     Bogotd,  1855.     One  vol.,  pp.  226  +  74. 

76.  Jeogratia  fisica  I  jjolitica  de  las  provincias  de  la  Nueva  Granada,  por  la 
Comision  Corografica.     Provincias  del  Socorro,  Velez,  Tunja  I  Tundama.     Bogota, 

1856.  One  vol.,  pp.  363. 

77.  Ueber  die  geognostischen  Verhaltnisse  der  Westl.  Colombia.  Karsten. 
Vienna,  1856. 

78.  Physiognomie  der  Trop.  Vegetation  Slid  Americas.  Albert  Berg.  1856. 
Folio  views  of  Colombian  scenery. 

79.  History  of  the  reign  of  the  emperor  Charles  the  Fifth.  Wm.  Robertson,  W. 
H.  Prescott.     1857.     Tiiree  vols.,  porti'ait. 

80.  New  Granada :  Twenty  months  in  the  Andes.  Isaac  F.  Holton,  M.  A. 
New  York.  1857.     One  vol.,  pp.  605,  33  woodcuts,  two  colored  double-sheet  maps. 

81.  Positions  bestimmungen  und  Hohenmessungen  in  Slid  Anierika.  Von  Liais 
und  Friesach.  Sitzungsberichte  der  K.  K.  Akademie  der  wissenschaften,  mathe- 
mat.,  naturw.  No.  19,  pp.  285-328,  No.  38,  pp.  591-632,  No.  93,  i)p.  7-14 ;  years 

1857,  '59,  '60. 

82.  Historia  de  la  revohicion  de  la  Repriblica  de  Colombia  en  la  America 
Meridional,  por  Josd  Manuel  Restrepo.  Besanzon,  1858.  Four  octavo  vols. 
First  edition  was  in  1827. 

83.  Geografia  de  la  Republica  del  Ecuador.  Manuel  Villavicencio.  New  York, 
1858. 

84.  Beitrage  zur  geologic  des  Westl.  Columbien.  Karsten.  Amtl.  Bericht  der 
Wiener  Naturforscherversammlung.      1858. 

85.  The  AVest  Indies  and  the  Spanish  Main.  Anthony  Trollope.  London, 
1859.     One  voh,  pp.  395,  map.      (New  Granada,  pp.  242-255.) 

86.  Voyage  aux  Indes  Occidentals.  Anthony  Trollope,  1858-59.  Dessins 
in^dits  par  M.  A.  de  Berard.  In  Tour  du  Monde,  vol.  2,  pp.  49  to  64  inch,  one 
map,  8  cuts.      (From  preceding.) 

87.  Mapoteca  Colombiana.  Coleccion  de  los  titulos  de  todos  los  niapas,  pianos, 
vistas,  etc.,  relatives  d,  la  America  espaiiola,  Brasil  e  islas  adyacentes  ;  arreglada 


APPENDIX.  183 

ci'onologicaniente  y  precotlida  cle  una  iutrodiiccion  sobre  la  liistoria  cartogrdlica  de 
America.      Eze(j^uiel  Urieoechea.      London.     1860. 

88.  Antiquarian,  ethnologioal,  and  other  researches  in  New  Granada,  Ki^uador, 
Peru,  and  Chile,  with  observations  on  the  pre-incarial,  incarial,  and  other  monuments 
of  Peruvian  nations  ;  with  plates.     AVilliam  BoUaert.     London,  1800. 

89.  Lieutenant  Michler's  report  of  his  survey  for  an  inter-oceanic  ship  canal 
near  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  Atrato  River  survey.  Senate  Document.  Feb., 
1861.  1st  vol.,  pp.  457  ;  annotated  list  of  144  species  of  birds  by  Cassin,  pj).  220- 
254.     2d  vol.  contains  17  large  folding  majjs  and  profiles. 

90.  Ensayo  sobre  las  revoluciones  politicales  y  la  coiulicion  de  las  republicas 
Columbianas.     Samper.     Paris,  1861. 

91.  Dr.  Moriz  Wagner,  in  Petermann's  INIittheilungen  for  1861. 

92.  Same,  in  same  for  1862.  Eine  Reise  in  das  Innere  der  Landenge  von  San 
Bias  und  der  Cordillere  von  Chepo  in  der  Provinz  Panama,  mit  besonderer 
Beriicksichtigung  der  hypsometrischen  verhilltnisse  und  der  Kanal  frage,  pp.  128- 
141,  colored  map. 

93.  Jeografia  fisica  I  politica  de  los  Estados  Unidos  de  Colombia.  Feli2)e  Perez. 
Bogotii,  1862.     Two  vols.,  pp.  13  +  494  and  4  +  650.  8  plates. 

94.  Jeografia  fisica  I  politica  del  Distrito  Federal,  Capital  de  los  Estados  Unidos 
de  Colombia.     Felipe  Perez.     Bogotd,  1862.     One  vol.,  pp.  54. 

95.  Anales  de  la  revolucion  de  1861.     Felipe  Perez.     Bogota,  1863. 

96.  New  Granada  ;  its  internal  resources.     Powles.     London,  1863. 

97.  Yida  del  Lil)ertador  Simon  Bolivar.  Felipe  Larrazabal.  New  York, 
1865-75. 

98.  Compendio  de  geografia  de  los  Estados  Unidos  de  Colombia.  Mosquera. 
London,  1866. 

99.  Autobiografia  del  General  Jose  Antonio  Paez.     New  York,  1867. 

100.  Historia  de  la  literatura  en  Nueva  Granada.  Vergara  y  Vergara.  Bo- 
gota, 1867. 

101.  Historia  edesiastica  y  civil  de  la  Nueva  Granada.  Jose  Manuel  Groot. 
Bogot/i.  1868-71. 

102.  Relaciones  de  los  A^ireyes  del  Nuevo  Reino  de  Granada.  Garcia  y  Garcia. 
New  York.  1869. 

103.  Deutsche  Konsulatsberichte  aus  Bogotci  im  Preussischen  Handelsarchiv, 
1870-75. 

104.  Informe  de  los  esploradores  del  Territorio  de  San  Martin.  Bogottl,  1871. 
One  vol.,  pp.  4  +  59. 

105.  Esploracion  entre  San  Jose  de  Cucutd  I  el  Rio  Magdalena.  Bogotd,  1871. 
One  vol..  pp.  18. 

106.  Alturas  tomadas  en  la  Republica  de  Colombia,  en  los  anos  de  1868  y  1869, 
l)or  W.  Reiss  y  A.  Stiibel.  Quito,  1872.  One  vol.,  pp.  39,  principally  barometric 
heights. 

V3 


18i  APPENDIX. 

107.  Voyage  a  la  Nouvelle  Grenade,  par  M.  le  Docteur  Saffray.  1869.  In 
Tour  du  Monde,  vols.  24,  25,  and  26,  1872-73,  total  pp.  160  and  110  cuts,  one 
double-page  map. 

108.  Meniorias  del  General  Joaquin  Posada  Gutierrez.     Bogotd.,  1872-80. 

109.  Hohenmessungen  in  Sud-America.  In  Zeitscli.  der  Gesell.  fur  Erdkunde 
zu  Berlin,  1874,  pp.  440,  441. 

110.  Historia  econdniica  y  estadistica  de  la  Hacienda  nacional.  Anibal  Galindo. 
Bogota,  1874. 

111.  Genealogias  del  nuevo  reino  de  Granada.  Juan  Florez  de  Ocariz.  Ma- 
drid, 1874. 

112.  Compendio  de  historia  patria.  Jos^  Maria  Quijano  Otero.  Bogotd, 
1874. 

113.  Biogi'afias  militares.     Josd  Maria  Baraya.     Bogotd,,  1875. 

114.  Die  Culturlander  des  alten  Amerika.  Prof.  Bastian.  Berlin,  1875-76. 
2  starken  banden,  pj).  720-1005,  3  maps. 

115.  Memorias  de  un  abanderado,  1810-1819.  Jose  Maria  Espinosa.  Bogota, 
1876. 

116.  Dr.  Reiss  and  Dr.  Stiibel.  Hohenmessungen  in  den  Republiken  Colombia 
und  Ecuador.  Zus.  aminengestellt  von  Prof.  Meinicke.  XII.  Jaliresbericht  des 
Vereins  fiir  Erdk.  zu  Dresden,  1876. 

117.  Barometrische  Hohenbestimmungen  in  Columbian  von  Eduard  Steinheil,  in 
Petermann's  Mitt,  for  1876,  No.  8,  pp.  281-284,  colored  folding  map. 

118.  Reisen  in  Columbien  von  Eduard  Steinheil.  in  Petermann's  Mitt.,  1876, 
No.  10,  pp.  393-395,  1877,  No.  4,  pp.  184-188,  No.  6,  pp.  222-227. 

119.  Raise  durch  den  Staat-Magdalena  in  Colombia,  1874.  Tetens,  in  Mitt, 
geogr.  gesell.,  Hambourg,  1876-77,  pp.  367-70. 

120.  My  first  trip  up  the  Magdalena,  and  life  in  the  heart  of  the  Andes.  J.  A. 
Bennett,  late  U.  .S.  Consul  at  Bogotji,  in  Journal  of  the  Amer.  Geog.  Soc.  of  New 
York,  1877.  pp.  126-141. 

121.  L'Am^rique  equinoxiale :  Colombie,  Equateur,  Pdrou,  par  M.  Ed.  Andr^, 
1875-76.  In  Tour  du  Monde  for  1877.  '78,  '79,  and  '83,  total  pp.  384,  286  cuts, 
16  maps. 

122.  L'Amerique  du  Sud  ;  voyage  dans  la  Nouvelle  Grenade.  E.  Andr^,  in 
L' Exploration,  1877,  No.  20. 

123.  Reisen  in  nordvestlichen  Snd-America.     E.  Andre,  in  Globus,  1878. 

124.  Anales  diplomaticos  de  Colombia.     Pedro  Ignacio  Cadena.     Bogota,  1878. 

125.  Racuerdos  histdricos  1819-1826.  Coronel  Manuel  Antonio  Lopez.  Bo- 
gota, 1878. 

126.  Reisen  in  Siid-America,  1868-1877.  Reiss  and  Stiibel,  in  Petermann's 
Mitt,  for  1878,  pp.  30-33. 

127.  Reiseerlebnisse  in  Columbien.  W.  Petersen,  in  Sitzungsber,  naturforscher 
gesell.  in  Dorpat,  1878,  pp.  42-47. 


APPENDIX.  185 

128.  Les  Chibchas  de  la  Colombie.  E.  Uricoechea.  Coiigr.  intern,  de  science 
geogr.      Paris.  1878,  pp.  olO-olo. 

129.  Annotations  sur  les  quinquinas  des  Etats-Unis  do  Colonibie.  D.  E.  Coro- 
nado.     Paris,  1878,  pp.  55. 

130.  Die  Kulturlander  des  alten  Amerilui.     A.  Bastian.      Jierlin,  1878. 

131.  tjber  entdeckungen  in  Sikl-Anicrika.  Bastian,  in  Verliandl.  Ges.  f.  Erdk. 
Berlin,  1878,  pp.  144-147. 

132.  Die  Zeichen-Felsen  Columbiens.  Bastian.  in  Zeits.  Ges.  f.  Erdk.  Berlin, 
1878,  pp.  1-23. 

133.  Travels  in  C()lunil)ia  in  1875-7G.  Ed.  Andre,  in  Bull,  de  la  Soc.  de  Geog. 
de  Paris,  1879. 

134.  P^delmetall  produktion  und  wertliverlialtnlsse  zwisclien  gold  und  silber,  seit 
der  entdeckung  Amerika's  vis  zur  gegenwart.  Dr.  Adolph  Loetbeer,  in  Peter- 
mann's  Mitt.  Ergiliizungslieft,  No.  57,  1879.      (Neu-Granada,  pp.  60-64.) 

135.  Conipendio  de  historia  de  Hispano-America.  Cesar  C.  Guzman.  Paris, 
1879. 

136.  Diccionario  biognlfico  de  los  campeones  de  la  lil)ertad  de  Nueva  Granada, 
Venezuela,  Px-uador  y  Peru.  Leonidas  Scarpetta,  Saturnino  Vergara.  Bogotd, 
1879. 

137.  Galeria  nacional  de  hombres  ilustres  o  notables.  Jose  Maria  Samper. 
Bogotci,  1879. 

138.  Diccionario  Jeografico  de  los  Estados  Unldos  de  Colombia,  por  Joaquin 
Esguerra  Ortiz.      Bogot;!,  1879.      One  vol.,  pp.  284. 

139.  Notes  on  the  topography  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  Santa  Marta,  U.  S.  of 
Colombia,  by  F.  A.  A.  Simons,  in  P.  R.  G.  S.  of  London  for  Nov.,  1879,  \^\^. 
689-694,  one  folding  map. 

140.  Memorias  del  General  Daniel  Florencio  0"Leary.  Caracas,  1879-81. 
16  vols. 

141.  Bosqnejo  estadistico  de  la  region  oriental  de  Colombia.  Joaquin  Diaz 
Escobar.     1880. 

142.  Historia  de  Colombia,  contada  a  los  Ninos.  Jos^  Joaquin  Borda.  Zipa- 
quira,  1880. 

143.  Explorations  aux  Isthmes  de  Panama  et  de  Darien  en  1876-77-78,  par 
M.  A.  Re'clus.     In  Tour  du  Monde  for  1880,  pp.  321-400.     68  cuts,  2  maps. 

144.  Reisen  in  Antirfipiia.  Friederich  von  Schenck,  in  Petermann's  Mitt,  for 
1880,  pp.  41-47,  large  folding  map. 

145.  Colombia  e  Peru,  I'imperio  degli  Inca.      G.  B.  Lemoyne.     Turin,  1880. 

146.  Quelques  mots  sur  la  geologic  de  I'Etat  d'Anticlcpiia.  Petitbois,  in  Annal. 
Soc.  G^olog.  de  Belgique,  1880,  pp.  159-163. 

147.  Voyage  k  la  Sierra-Nevada  de  Sainte-Marthe.  Elis^e  Re'clus.  Paris,  1881. 
One  vol.,  pp.  6  +  337.  21  cuts,  one  folding  map.     The  first  edition  was  in  1861. 

148.  Los  communeros  :  historia  de  la  insurreccion  de  1781.  Manuel  Briccno. 
Bogota,  1881. 


186  APPENDIX. 

149.  La  mission  de  la  Goajira,  Nouvelle  Grenade.  Jannsen,  in  Les  missions 
catholiques,  1881.     No.  627. 

150.  Voyage  sur  le  Rio  Magdalena  a  travers  les  Andes  et  snr  TOrenoque.  J. 
Crdvaux,  in  Bull.  Soc.  Gdogr.  de  Paris,  July,  1881,  pp.  7-25,  with  map. 

151.  On  the  Sieri'a  Nevada  of  Santa  Marta  and  its  watershed.  (State  of  Mag- 
dalena, U.  S.  of  Colombia.)  F.  A.  A.  Simons,  in  P.  R.  G.  S.  of  London  for  Dec, 
1881,  pp.  702-723,  one  folding  map. 

152.  tJber  Francisco  de  Caldas,  den  Neu-Granadinisclien  naturforscher  nnd 
geographer.     A.  Schumacher,  in  Verhandl.  d.  Gesell.  f.  Erdk.  zn  Berlin,  1881. 

153.  Voyage  d'exploration  a  travers  la  Nouvelle  Grenade  et  le  Venezuela  (Rios 
Magdalena,  de  Lesseps  on  Guaviare,  Orinoco).  J.  Crevaux  et  E.  Lejanne.  1881. 
In  Tour  du  Monde  for  1882,  pp.  225-320,  68  cuts,  2  maps. 

154.  El  Dorado.     Illustrated  periodical,  Liborio  Zerda.      Bogota,  1882. 

155.  Les  Etats-Unis  de  Colombie  ;  precis  d'histoire  et  de  geographie  physique, 
politique  et  commerciale,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  R.  S.  Pereira.  Paris,  1883.  One  vol.,  2)p. 
8  +  311,  10  double-page  maps,  one  folding. 

156.  Geografia  general  de  los  Estados  Unidos  de  Colombia.  Bogota,  1883. 
Pp.  456. 

157.  Voyage  a  la  Nouvelle  Grenade.  Lejanne,  in  Bull.  Soc.  G^ogr.  Brest, 
1883. 

158.  Ferrocarril  de  Antidquia :  Informe  de  una  comision.  Medillin,  1883. 
Pp.  33. 

159.  Reiseskizzen  aus  Columbia.      Hettner,  in  Kolnische  Zeitung,  1883. 

160.  Notes  on  the  central  provinces  of  Colombia.  Robert  Blake  White,  in  P.  R. 
G.  S.  of  London  for  May,  1883.  pp.  249-267,  one  folding  map. 

161.  Reisen  in  Antidcpiia  im  jahre  1880  von  Fr.  von  Schenck. 

162.  Reisen  in  Antioquia  und  im  Cauca  im  jahre  1880  und  1881.  Fr.  von 
Schenck. 

163.  F.  V.  Schenck's  Hohenmessungen  in  Kolumbien,  von  Professor  K.  Zop- 
pritz. 

164.  Hohen.  in  Antidquia  nach  White.  All  in  Petermann's  Mitt.,  1883.  Fold- 
ing n)aps. 

165.  Voyages  et  d^couvertes  de  J.  Crdvaux.  G.  Franck.  Paris,  1884.  Pp.88, 
maps. 

166.  Mapa  para  servir  de  estudio  de  la  frontera  entire  Venezuela  y  Colombia. 
Rivadeneyra.     Madrid,  1884.     5  maps. 

167.  Die  Republik  der  Vereinigten  Staaten  von  Kolumbien.  W.  Roth,  in  Das 
Ausland,  1884. 

168.  Sjjanish  and  Portuguese  South  America  during  the  Colonial  Period.  R.  G. 
Watson.     London,  1884.     Two  vols.,  pp.  620. 

169.  Siidamerikanische  studien,  drie  Lebens  und  Kulturbilder.  Miitis,  C.ildas, 
Codazzi.     H.  A.  Schumacher.      Berlin,  1884.     Pp.  559. 


APPENDIX.  187 

170.  Plstiidio  sobre  las  niiiias  de  oro  y  plata  de  Colombia.  Vicente  Restrepo,  in 
An.  de  la  instniceion  publica,  1884. 

171.  Geoyrafia  general  y  conipendio  historico  del  Estado  de  Anti()([uia  en  Colom- 
bia. Manuel  Ui'ibe  Angel.  Paris,  1885.  One  vol.,  pp.  15  +  78o,  frontispiece, 
33  cuts  of  antiquities,  two  folding  maps. 

172.  Les  anciennes  populations  de  la  Colombie.    Nadaillae.    Paris,  1885.   Pp.  13. 

173.  Notes  etlinograpliicpies  sur  les  Etats  Unis  de  la  Colombie.  W.  Boye,  in 
Rev.  Soc.  Geogr.     Tours,  J  885. 

174.  Die  Sierra  Nevada  von  Santa  Marta.  Hettner,  in  Petermann's  INIitt.  for 
1885,  pp.  92-97. 

175.  The  Sierra  Nevada  of  Santa  Marta.  Sievers,  in  Proc.  Geog.  Soc.  of  Uerlin, 
1885. 

17().  Die  barometrisclien  hohenmessungeu  des  Herrn  Dr.  Sievers  in  Coluniliia 
und  Venezuela.     M.  Frohberg,  in  Mitt.  Geogr.  Ges.     Hand)urg.  1885-80. 

177.  An  exploration  of  the  Goajira  Peninsula,  U.  S.  of  Colombia.  F.  A.  A. 
Simons,  in  P.  R.  G.  S.  of  London  for  Dec,  1885,  pp.  781-796,  one  folding  map. 

178.  Reise  nach  Bogotii :  Haupstadt  der  siidamerikanischen  Republik  Colombia. 
E.  Rothlisberger,  in  Jahresber.  d.  Geogr.  Ges.     Bern,  1885-87. 

179.  Stati  Uniti  di  Colombia.      Segre.      Rome,  188(5. 

18U.  Costa  Rica  y  Colombia  de  157o  a  1881  :  su  jurisdieeion  y  sus  limites  ter- 
ritoriales.     De  Peralta.     Madrid  y  Paris,  1886. 

181.  Geologie  de  I'ancienne  Colombie  Bolivarienne  ;  Vdndzuela,  Nouvelle-Gre- 
nade  et  Ecuador.      Karsten.     Berlin,  1886.     Mai)s  and  ppl. 

182.  A  study  of  the  gold  and  silver  mines  of  Columbia.  V.  Restrepo.  Trans- 
lated by  C.  W.  Fisher.     New  York.  1886. 

183.  Die  Avirtscbaftlichen  verhaltnisse  der  Vereinigten  Staaten  von  Kolumbien. 
Hettner,  in  Dtsch.  Kolonialzeitung,  1886. 

184.  Die  Bogotaner.     Hettner,  in  Globus,  1886. 

185.  Cartagena  y  sus  cercanias :  guia  descriptiva.  J.  P.  Urueta.  Cartagena, 
1886. 

186.  Die  Arhuaco  Indianer  in  der  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta.  Sievers,  in 
Zeits.  Ges.  f.  Erdk.      Berlin,  1886. 

187.  Reise  in  der  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta.      Sievers,  in  same.  3886. 

188.  Tiber  ein  Skelett  und  scbiidel  von  Goajiros.  Virchow,  in  Ges.  f.  Anthropol., 
etc.     Berlin,  1886. 

189.  Historia  del  Nuevo  Reino  de  Granada.  Juan  de  Castellauos.  Madrid, 
1886-87. 

190.  Historia  de  Colombia.     Carlos  Benedetti.      Lima,  1887.    One  vol.,  pp.  961. 

191.  Nouvelle-Grenade  :  Apereu  general  sur  la  Colombie  et  recits  de  voyages  en 
Amerique.     C.  P.  J^tienne.     Geneva,  1887.     Pp.  144.  Hai. croft  Libmy 

192.  Descripcion  histdrica.  geogrjlfica  y  politica  de  la  Repiiblica  de  Colombia. 
Bogota,  1887.     Pp.  23. 


188  APPENDIX. 

193.  Compendio  de  geografia  de  la  Republica  de  Colombia.  A.  M.  D.  Lemos. 
Medellin,  1887. 

194.  The  U.  S.  of  Colombia  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panamji.  J.  Xantus,  in  Bull. 
Soc.  HongT.  de  Geogv.,  1887. 

195.  The  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta.  J.  T.  Bealby,  in  Scottish  Geogr. 
Mag.,  1887. 

196.  Reise  in  der  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta.     Sievers.    Leipzig,  1887.    Pp. 

10  +  290. 

197.  The  Goajira  Peninsula ;  trade,  etc.     E.   H.   Plumacher,  in  Reports  U.   S. 

Consuls,  1887. 

198.  Ethnogr.  stellung  der  Guajiro  Indianer.     A.  Ernst,  in  Zeits.  f.  Ethnologie, 

1887. 

199.  Briefe  aus  Kolumbien.     F.  C  Lehman,  in  Export,  1887. 

200.  The  agricultural  condition  of  Columbia.  Wheeler,  in  Diplom.  and  Con- 
sular Reports.     London,  1887. 

201.  Circulaire  du  ministre  des  affaires  etrangeres  sur  les  mines  d'or  et  d'argent 
de  la  R<?publique  de  Colombie,  1887. 

202.  The  capitals  of  Spanish  America.  Wm.  E.  Curtis.  New  York,  1888. 
(Bogotil,  pp.  225-257,  18  cuts.) 

203.  Reisen  in  den  Columbianischen  Anden.  Dr.  Alfred  Hettner.  Leipzig, 
1888.     One  vol.,  pp.  10  +  389,  one  folding  map. 

204.  Kartographische  ergebnisse  einer  Reise  in  den  Columbianischen  Anden. 
Hettner,  in  Petermann's  Mitt,  for  1888,  pp.  104-112.  Large  folding  map,  plan  of 
Bogota,  etc. 

205.  Beitriige  zur  geologie  und  petrographie  der  Kolumbianischen  Anden. 
Hettner  and  Link,  in  Ztsolir.  Deutsch.  Geol.  Gesell.,  1888. 

206.  Beitrage  zur  Petrographie  der  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta  und  der 
Sierra  de  Perija  in  der  Repnblik  Colombia  in  Sudamerika.  W.  Bei'gt,  in  Mineral 
und  Petrograph.  Mitt,  for  1889. 

207.  Die  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta  und  die  Sierra  de  Perija.  Dr.  W. 
Sievers,  in  Zeitschr.  der  Gesell.  filr  Erdk.  zu  Berlin,  1888.     Pji.  158,  maps. 

208.  Erlauterungen  zur  geognostischen  Karte  der  Sierra  Nevada  de  Santa  Marta. 
Sievers,  in  same  for  1888.     Map. 

209.  Die  Kordillere  von  Mdrida  nebst  Bemerkungen  liber  das  Karibische  Ge- 
birge,  mit  einer  geologischen  Karte  und  15  profilen.  Sievers.  Vienna  and  Olmutz, 
1888. 

210.  Der  verfall  des  Staates  Magdalena.     Sievers.  in  Globus,  1888. 

211.  Die  Floresta  de  la  Santa  Iglesia  Catedral  de  la  cindad  de  Santa  Marta. 
Sievers,  in  Globus  for  1888. 

212.  Goajiro  Halbinsel.     J.  Chaffanjon,  in  La  Geographie  for  1888. 

213.  Les  mines  d'or  et  d'argent  de  la  Colombie.  P.  de  Bruycker,  in  Bull.  Soc. 
R.  G^ogr.     Antwerp,  1888. 


APPENDIX.  189 

214.  Le  Sinou.  Colombie.  E.  Patronilleau,  in  Bull.  Soc.  G^ogr.  Couuu.  Bor- 
deaux, 1888. 

215.  Atlas  geografico  e  liistdvico  de  la  Rei)iibliea  de  Colombia.  MM.  Paz  and 
F.  Perez.      Paris,  1889.     20  maps,  plans,  views,  etc. 

216.  Colombia :  its  past,  present,  and  future,  llejjorts  from  the  Consuls  of  the 
U.  S.,  1889,  pp.  98-112. 

217.  Reiseskizzen  aus  Kohunbien  und  Venezuela.     Fr.  Buchner.     INIunich,  1889. 

218.  Las  estatuas  del  valle  de  San  Augustin  en  la  Repiiblica  de  Colombia.  J. 
Gutierrez  de  Alba,  in  Bol.  Soc.  Geogr.     Madrid,  1889. 

219.  Die  Goajiris  Indianer.     A.  Sartori,  in  Mitt.  Geogr.  Gesell.      Lubeck,  1889. 

220.  Reports  and  Recommendations  of  the  International  American  Conference. 
AVashington,  1890.      (Colombia,  pp.  122-127.     Maps.) 

221.  Around  and  About  South  America ;  Twenty  months  of  quest  and  cpierj'. 
Frank  Vincent.     New  York,  1890.      (Colombia,  pp.  426-463.) 

222.  Notas  de  viaje  ;  Colombia  y  Estados  Unldos  de  America.  S.  Camacho 
Roldiiu.     Bogotit,  1890.     Pp.  6  +  900. 

223.  Avventure  di  una  spedizione  alia  Colombia,  per  cura  di  M.  Viglietti. 
Turin,  1890.     Pp.  200. 

224.  Le  niiuiere  della  Republica  di  Colombia.  R.  Ragnini,  in  Boll.  Soc.  Geogr. 
Ital.,  1890,  i)p.  309-332. 

225.  La  Republique  de  Colombie.  H.  Lennon,  in  Bull.  Soc.  Geogr.,  Antwerp, 
1890,  pp.  103-122. 

226.  Travels  and  Adventures  of  an  Orchid  Hunter  :  an  account  of  Canoe  and 
Camp  Life  in  Colombia,  while  collecting  Orchids  in  the  Northern  Andes.  Albert 
Millican.     London,  1891.     One  vol.,  pp.  15  +  222,  73  cuts,  one  colored  plate. 

227.  Monumenti  preistorici  della  Colombia ;  viaggio  di  G.  M.  Gutierrez  de  Alba 
nella  valle  di  S.  Agostino.      C.  G.  Toni,  in  L'Esjjlor.  commerc,  1891,  pp.  1-15. 

228.  Telegraphic  determination  of  longitudes  in  INIexico,  Central  America,  the 
West  Indies,  and  on  the  north  coast  of  South  America.  Norris  and  Laird.  Bureau 
of  Navigation,  Washington,  1891. 

229.  Compagnie  franco-beige  des  chemins  de  fer  colombiens.  R.  Le  Brun. 
Paris,  1891.     Pp.  232. 

230.  Colombia.  Bulletin  No.  33,  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics.  Wash- 
ington, January.  1892.     One  vol.,  pp.  138.  22  cuts,  one  map. 

231.  Nueva  Geografia  de  Colombia.  T.  I.  el  territorio,  el  medio  y  la  raya,  Ver- 
gara.     Bogota,  1892. 

232.  Cartes  Commerciales.  6me  s^rie.  No.  10.  Colombie  et  Equateur.  F. 
Bianconi  and  E.  Broc.     Paris.  1892.      Pj).  36,  folding  maj). 

233.  Die  Kordillere  von  Bogotil.  Hettner,  in  Petermann's  Mitt.  P^i-gangzungs- 
heft,  1892.      Pp.  131,  large  map. 

234.  The  Cordillera  of  Bogota.  Review  of  the  above  in  P.  R.  G.  S.  of  Lon- 
don for  Dec,  1892,  i)p.  850-854. 


190  APPENDIX. 

235.  La  R^publique  cle  Colombie,  g^ographie,  histoire,  etc.  R.  Nuiiez  and  H. 
Jalhay.     Brussels,  1893.     Pp.  259.  niajD. 

236.  Die  Anden  des  Westlichen  Columbiens  ;  eine  orographische  skizze.  Hettner, 
in  Peteimann's  Mitt,  for  1893,  pp.  129-136. 

237.  Reisen  in  Siidamerika.  Geologische  studien  in  der  Republik  Colombia. 
III.  Astronomiscbe  ortsbestimmungen,  beai'beitet  von  Bruno  Peter.  Reiss  and 
Stlibel.     Berlin,  1893.     Pp.  327. 

238.  Rio  Hacha  et  les  Indiens  Goajires.  H.  Candelier.  Paris,  1893.  Pp.  277, 
41  cuts. 

239.  Coal  and  Petroleum  in  Colombia.  Commercial  information  bulletin.  Bureau 
of  tbe  American  Republics.     Washington,  1893. 

240.  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  vol.  vi.,  pp.  137-141. 

There  are  articles  upon  Colombia  in  nearly  all  encyclopaedias,  and  many  short 
references  in  magazines  and  periodicals  ;  in  particular,  Das  Ausland,  Globus,  etc., 
and  in  proceedings  of  the  various  geographical  societies. 

MAPS. 

1.  Atlas  de  los  Estados  Unidos  de  Colombia.     Codazzi. 

2.  Mapa  de  la  provincia  de  Antidquia  en  la  rejiublica  de  Nueva  Granada.  C  S. 
de  Greiff.     Paris,  1857. 

3.  Large  Avall  map  of  Colombia.      Thierry  Brothers.      Paris,  1864. 

4.  Savanilla  Harbor,  Colombia.      1/36500,  No.  925,  "Washington,  1885. 

5.  Cartagena  Harbor.     1/36500,  No.  978,  Washington,  1886. 

6.  Colombie.  Carte  g^ndrale  des  chemins  de  fer  proj^tds.    1/675000,  Paris.  1886. 

7.  West  Coast,  Porto  Bello.     1/36500,  No.  958,  Washington,  1887. 

8.  Parida  and  Palmque  Anchorages.     1/73000,  No.  1038. 

9.  Port  Nuevo.     1/36500,  No.  1039. 

10.  Bahia  Honda.     1/36500,  No.  1040,  all  Washington,  1887. 

11.  Map  of  River  Sinii.     F.  A.  A.  Simons,  London,  1887. 

12.  Panama  to  Cape  San  Francisco.     1/975000.  No.  1176,  Washington,  1889. 

13.  Colombie.  Port  et  mouillages.  Port  de  Cispata,  Port  Careto,  etc.  No.  4633. 
Paris,  Serv.  Hydrogr..  1892. 

14.  Old  Providence  Island.     1/73000,  No.  1372. 

15.  Santa  Catalina  Harbor.      1/18250,  No.  1371. 

16.  Santa  Marta  Bay.     1/12150,  No.  1378. 

17.  Gulf  of  Darien,  Columbia  Bay.     1/36500,  No.  1405. 

18.  Gulf  of  San  Bias,  Mandinga  Harbor.     1/36500,  No.  1406. 

19.  Serrana  Bank,  South  Cay  Channel.     No.  1374. 

20.  San  Miguel  and  Darien  Harbor.     1/146000,  No.  1410. 

21.  Chiri  Chiri  Bay.     1/18250,  No.  1407,  all  Washington,  1893. 


APPENDIX.  191 

COLOMBIAN   ZOOLOGY. 

1.  Tlie  followiiii^-  is  a  partial  list  of  the  more  extensive  articles  on  the  zooloji^y  of 
Colombia.  It  would  require  many  pages  to  contain  a  comjolete  list.  Throughout 
the  "  R^vue  Zoologique,"  the  '•  Magasin  de  Zoologie,"  the  "Ibis,"  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  and  other  similar  jjublications  are  found 
many  references  to  Colondjian  fauna.  In  the  first  two  esj)ecially  are  found  many 
descn-iptions  of  the  discoveries  of  the  naturalists  Goudot  and  Delattre.  The  litera- 
ture of  Colombian  humming-birds  alone  is  voluminous  :  — 

1.  Fanna  Cuiulinamarfpiesa.  D.  Jorge  Tadeo  Lozano.  Mentioned  l)y  Pereira, 
but  no  (hite  or  locality  given. 

2.  Notice  sur  quelques  oiseaux  de  Carthagene,  etc.  Lafresnaye  and  D'Orbigny, 
in  Rev.  Zool..  1838,  pp.  1G4-1()(), 

3.  Nouvelles  especes  d'oiseaux  mouches  de  Santa  F^  de  Bogotii.  Boissonneau.  in 
same,  1839,  pp.  354-356. 

4.  Oiseaux  nouveaux  ou  peu  connus  de  Santa  F^  de  Bogotd.  Boissonneau,  in 
same,  for  1840,  pp.  2-8  and  66-71. 

5.  Coleopteres  de  Colombie,  demerits  i)ar  M.  L.  Reiche  in  same  for  1842-43, 
total  pp.  42. 

6.  Description  de  (pielques  oiseaux  nouveaux  de  Colombie.  Lafresnaye,  in  sanie 
for  1842,  pp.  301,  302,  and  333-336. 

7.  Insectes  nouveaux  ol)serves  sur  les  i)lateaux  des  Cordilleres  et  dans  les  valines 
chaudes  de  la  Nouvelle-Grenade.  Meneville  and  Goudot,  in  same  for  1843,  pp, 
12-22. 

8.  Quelques  oiseaux  nouveaux  ou  pen  connus  de  Colombie.  Lafresnaye,  in  same 
for  1843,  pp.  68-70  and  290-292. 

9.  Description  de  quelques  coleopteres  de  la  Nouvelle-Grenade.  Meneville,  in 
same  for  1844,  pp.  8-19. 

10.  Nouvelles  especes  d'oiseaux  de  Colombie.  Lafresnaye,  in  same  for  1844, 
pp.  80-83. 

11.  Coup  d'ceil  sur  I'ornithologie  de  la  Colombie.  Lafresnaye,  in  same  for  1845, 
pp.  113-119. 

12.  Description  de  quelques  mammiferes  Am^ricains.  Pucheran,  in  same  for 
1845,  J)}).  335-337. 

13.  Sur  quehjues  nouvelles  especes  d'oiseaux  de  Colombie.  Lafresnaye,  in  same 
for  1846,  pp.  206-209. 

14.  Description  de  quinze  especes  nouvelles  de  trochilid^es.  Delattre  and  Bour- 
cier,  in  same  for  1846,  pp.  305-312. 

15.  Description  de  vingt  especes  d'oiseaux  mouches.  Bourcier,  in  Annal.  de  la 
Soc.  Royal  d'agricult.,  etc.,  de  Lyons  for  1846. 

16.  Sur  le  rampliocelus  icteronotus  du  Prince  Bonaparte.  Lafresnaye,  in  Rev. 
Zool.  for  1846,  pp.  365-370. 


192  APPENDIX. 

17.  Quelques  oiseaux  nouveaux  de  Bolivie  et  de  Nouvelle-Grenade.  Lafresnaye, 
in  same  for  1847,  pp.  65-79. 

18.  Sur  I'espece  de  rhamphocele  a  plumage  variable  rapporte  de  la  Nouvelle- 
Grenade,  etc.     La  Fresnaye,  in  same  for  1847,  pp.  215-219. 

19.  On  the  birds  received  in  collections  from  Santa  Fe  di  Bogota.  Sclater,  in 
P.  Z.  S.  for  July,  1855.  Pjj.  36.  435  species  enumerated.  This  was  also  published 
as  a  separate  paper. 

20.  On  some  additional  species  of  birds  received  in  collections  from  Bogotd. 
Sclater,  in  same  for  1856,  pp.  25-31.     4  colored  plates. 

21.  Further  additions  to  the  list  of  birds  received  in  collections  from  Bogota. 
Sclater,  in  same  for  1857,  pp.  15-20.     52  species. 

22.  Catalogue  of  birds  collected  during  a  survey  of  a  route  for  a  ship  canal 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  etc.  Cassin,  in  Proc.  Ac.  Nat.  Sci.  of  Phil,  for  1860, 
pp.  132-144  and  188-197.     144  species. 

23.  Note  sur  les  trochilid^es  de  la  Nouvelle  Grenade.  De  Geofroy.  Bogota  and 
London,  1861. 

24.  Catalogue  of  a  collection  of  birds  made  in  New  Grenada,  etc.  G.  N.  Law- 
rence, in  Annals  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  Y.  for  1861,  62,  63.     4  jjarts,  total  pp.  67. 

25.  Descriptions  of  six  new  species  of  birds  from  the  Isthnuis  of  Panama.  Law- 
rence, in  the  Ibis  for  1862,  pp.  10-13. 

26.  Descriptions  of  eight  new  species  of  birds  from  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 
Lawrence,  in  same  for  1863,  pp.  181-184. 

27.  Notes  on  a  collection  of  birds  from  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Sclater  and 
Salvin,  in  P.  Z.  S.  for  1864,  pp.  342-373.     One  colored  pi. 

28.  Description  of  eight  new  species  of  birds  from  Veragua.  Salvin,  in  same 
for  1866,  pp.  67-76.     Two  colored  plates. 

29.  On  some  collections  of  birds  from  Veragua.  Salvin,  in  same  for  1867,  pp. 
129-161.    Colored  plate. 

30.  On  some  collections  of  birds  from  Veragua.  Salvin,  in  same  for  1870,  pp. 
175-219.     Map. 

31.  Notes  on  some  birds  of  the  United  States  of  Columbia.  C.  W.  Wyatt,  in 
same  for  1871,  pp.  113-131,  319-335,  373-384.    Map. 

32.  On  a  collection  of  birds  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  Santa  Marta,  Columbia. 
Salvin,  in  same  for  1879,  pp.  196-206. 

33.  On  the  birds  collected  by  the  late  Mr.  T.  K.  Salmon  in  the  state  of  Antid- 
quia.  United  States  of  Colombia.  Sclater  and  Salvin,  in  P.  Z.  S.  for  1879,  pp.  486- 
550.     Map  and  three  colored  plates. 

34.  On  the  birds  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  Santa  Marta,  Columbia.  Salvin  and 
Godman,  in  Ibis  for  1880,  pp.  114-125,  169-178.    3  plates. 

35.  Untersuchungen  iiber  die  Vijgel  der  Umgegend  von  Bucaramanga  in  Neu 
Granada.     Von  Berlepsch,  in  Journal  fiir  Ornitliologie  for  1884,  pp.  273-320. 

36.  On  some  interesting  additions  to  the  avifauna  of  Bucaramanga,  U.  S.  of 
Colombia.     Von  Berlepsch,  in  Ibis  for  1886,  pp.  53-57.     Plate. 


APPENDIX.  193 

WORKS  ON   CURACAO. 

1.  See  No.  17  in  list  of  works  on  Colombia.  Curacao  (Ciirassou)  is  in  fifth  vol. 
p.  425  et  seq. 

2.  Description  of  a  new  sjiecies  of  humming-bird  from  the  islund  of  Curacao. 
Lawrence,  in  Annals  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  p.  13. 

3.  Eenige  West  Indischen  Kolonien  na  de  emancipatie.  Fraissinet.  Amsterdam, 
1879.     Pp.  43. 

4.  Curasao.     J.  Kuyper,  in  Tijdschr.  aardrijksk.  gcnootscli.  1882. 

T).  The  Aruba  and  the  Papiamento  Jargon.  Gatchet.  American  Phil.  Soc. 
Philadelphia,  1884. 

6.  On  a  collection  of  birds  made  by  Messrs.  Benedict  and  Nye.  etc..  Island  of 
Curacao,  Venezuela  [.svV].  Ridgway,  in  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Museum  for  1884,  pp.  173- 
177.  ' 

7.  Die  Niederlandische  Expedition  nach  den  Westindischen  Inseln  und  Surinam, 
1884-85.     Martin,  in  Tijd.  aard.  genoot.     Amsterdam,  1885. 

8.  Reise  nach  den  Niederlilndisch  Westindischen  Besitzungen.  K.  Martin,  in 
Rev.  Colon.  Internat.  1885. 

9.  Nederl.  Westindisehe  Expeditie.  W.  F.  R.  Suringar,  in  Tijd.  Nederl.  aard. 
genoot.     Amsterdam,  1886. 

10.  Overhet  geolog.  verband  tussclien  de  Westindisehe  eilanden.  Dr.  Molengratt". 
in  same  for  1887. 

11.  Geolog.  Kaarten  van  Curaeao,  Aruba  en  Bonaire.  C.  M.  Kan,  in  same  for 
1887.     Three  maps. 

12.  Note  sur  la  latitude  de  Curaeao  et  sur  les  longitudes  de  Laguayra,  Puerto 
Cabello,  Curasao  et  Sainte  Marthe.     M.  Aubry,  in  Annales  Hydrogr.     Paris,  1887. 

13.  Bericht  liber  eine  Reise  nach  Niederlilndisch  Westindien  und  darauf  ge- 
griindete  vStudien  I.  Land  und  Leute.     Martin.      Leiden,  1887. 

14.  West-indische  Skizzen.    Martin.     Leiden,  1887.     Map,  pp.  186. 

15.  Beitrage  zur  Geologie  von  Niederlilndisch  Westindien.  jMartin.  Leiden. 
1887-89. 

16.  Les  possessions  n(ierlandaises  dans  les  Antilles.  T.  C.  L.  Wijinnalen.  Am- 
sterdam, 1888. 

17.  Statistisch  overzieht  van  Ned.  West  Indie.     Same  in  Bijdr.  Stat.  Inst.  1888. 

18.  Geologische  Studien  liber  Niederlilndische- Westindien.  Martin.  Leiden, 
1888. 

19.  Die  Vogel  der  Insel  Curaeao  nach  einer  von  Herrn  Cand.  Theol.  Ernst 
Peters  daselbst  angelegten  sammlung.  Von  Berlepsch,  in  Journ.  fiir  Ornithol..  Jan. 
1892.    Pp.  62. 

20.  Under  the  Southern  Cross  :  a  guide  to  the  sanitariums  and  other  charming 
places  in  the  West  Indies  and  S])anish  Main.    W.  F.  Hutchinson.   Providence,  1892. 

21.  Ernst  Hartert.  Remarks  on  some  birds  from  Curasao,  in  Bull.  Brit.  Orni- 
thol. Club.  Ibis.  .Tan..  1893. 


194  APPENDIX. 

22.  On  the  birds  of  the  Islands  of  Aruba.  Curacao,  and  Bonaire.     Hartert,  in 
Ibis  for  July,  1893.      Pp.  50.  map,  colored  plate. 

23.  L'ile  de  Curacao.      G.  Yerschuur.  in  Tour  du  Monde  for  1893,  pp.  81-96. 
12  cuts.  map. 

24.  Encyclopsedia  Britannica,  vol.  vi.  p.  626. 

25.  Kaart  von  het  Eiland  Curacao,  etc.     Amsterdam.  1886.  20  by  24  ins. 

26.  Santa  Ana  Harbor.     No.  1049,  16  by  19  ins.     Washington.  1890. 

27.  Spanish  Water.  Spanish  Haven,  and  Caracas  Bay.     No.  1245.  Washington, 
1891. 


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